Cal/OSHA’s Wildfire Smoke Rules

Cal/OSHA Issues LA County Wildfire Smoke Alert

Ongoing wildfires in Southern California trigger Cal/OSHA regulations that require employers to train and protect employees from wildfire smoke.

In many areas of Southern California, destructive and swift-moving wildfires have damaged thousands of homes and businesses, causing workplace disruptions, terrible deaths, and upended lives. The area has been covered in wildfire smoke, a known occupational hazard, as firefighters fight the fires and try to contain them. Even though smoke is frequently visible and odorous, air quality can be affected even beyond the fires’ immediate vicinity.

Cal/OSHA enforces a permanent regulation relating to Protection from Wildfire Smoke that applies to workplaces where the current Air Quality Index (AQI) for airborne particulate matter (PM 2.5) is 151 or greater, and where employers should reasonably anticipate that employees could be exposed to wildfire smoke. Employers must track wildfire smoke in areas where employee exposure is anticipated, using one of several options provided and authorized by Cal/OSHA, including the airnow.gov website maintained by the U.S. EPA. As of January 9, 2025, AirNow approximates an AQI Category of 150 or more (for all particulate matter, not just PM 2.5) in the red, purple, and maroon areas below:

Employers can expect that in the days ahead, the majority of the workforce in Los Angeles County and the neighboring areas may be exposed to wildfire smoke at work over the AQI level. For example, wildfire smoke will affect retail employees who venture outside, warehouses with open bay doors, construction sites, and even indoor workplaces without mechanical ventilation that depend on open windows. Employees who are exposed to an AQI of PM 2.5 of 151 or higher for less than an hour per shift are also exempt from the requirement, as are enclosed cars with closed windows and mechanical ventilation, as well as indoor workplaces. The standard does not apply to firefighters combating wildland fires.

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Employers with covered employees must take the following steps to protect workers who may be exposed to wildfire smoke:

  • Monitor air quality using one of the methods set out in the rule, including AirNow.gov.
  • Identify harmful exposure to airborne particulate matter from wildfire smoke at the start of each shift and periodically thereafter by checking the AQI for PM 2.5 in regions where workers are located.
  • Reduce harmful exposure to wildfire smoke if feasible, for example, by relocating work to an enclosed building with filtered air, or to an outdoor location where the AQI for PM 2.5 is 150 or lower.
  • If employers cannot reduce workers’ harmful exposure to wildfire smoke so that the AQI for PM 2.5 is 150 or lower, they must provide:
  • Filtering facepiece respirators such as N95 masks to all employees for voluntary use, and
  • Training on the hazard as required by the Injury and Illness Prevention Plan.

Appropriate respiratory protection must be supplied under a compliant respiratory protection program if workers are required to be exposed to an AQI for PM 2.5 of 500 or higher. To ensure that workers may report wildfire smoke concerns without fear of retaliation, employers must also set up and implement a procedure for doing so.