Heat-related illnesses and fatalities have captured much attention, especially since most cases of heat stroke are preventable. Since 2006, California’s Heat Illness Prevention Standard (GISO 3395) has required that employers provide accessible water, shade to rest and cool down, training and adequate emergency plans to outdoor workers. LOHP managed the development of a Cal/OSHA statewide campaign to reduce heat-related fatalities and illnesses among non-English-speaking outdoor workers. This included using a social marketing strategy to craft key messages and a media campaign, as well as creating materials in multiple languages and formats. The successful campaign was adopted by Federal OSHA and implemented across the U.S.
The materials are available in the campaign website – 99calor.org – and include resources in Spanish, Punjabi, Hmong, and English, as well as video available in Triqui and Mixteco. These materials include:
- Illustrated fact sheets and posters for low-literacy audiences
- Community training guide
- Videos
- Supervisor’s daily checklist
- Fact sheet “How to Report a Problem to Cal/OSHA”
- Resources for employers to provide training, including posters and short training guides
This campaign was the result of funding provided to the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) from the California State Legislature to conduct a targeted public education and outreach effort. The project was coordinated by the Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP) at UC Berkeley at the direction of the Department of Industrial Relations and DOSH. Collaborators on this project include: Underground Advertising, MOB Media, UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program, and the Western Center for Agricultural Safety and Health at UC Davis.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Suzanne Teran
steran@berkeley.edu
