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Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control
Occupational Health Branch
Worker Heat Effects and Tracking (HEAT) Program

Occupational Health Branch

Worker HEAT (Heat Effects and Tracking) Program

The Worker HEAT program is operated by a multidisciplinary team with backgrounds in health education, program analysis, epidemiology, and occupational medicine. Our program seeks to prevent heat-related illness (HRI) among California’s workers by understanding the risk factors and patterns in health outcomes. We collaborate with partners to provide prevention and education resources to employers and workers in high-risk occupational settings.

Our Mission: Protect California’s high-risk workers from the dangerous effects of heat.

Program Activities

Research – Tracking heat-related illness in California

Educate – Working with partners to train workers and employers

Collaborate – Supporting critical outreach to protect workers

Publications

New Occupational HRI Emergency Department Visits California | 2016–2023 (PDF), Analysis Report, key findings of emergency department visits of work-related heat illness from 2016–2023.

Figure 1 shows the rate of occupational heat-related illness (HRI) emergency department (ED) visits in California by county during 2016-2023. Counties with the highest average yearly rates of ED visits for occupational HRI (greater than 15 ED visits per 100,00 workers) during 2016–2023 are labeled: Imperial County has a yearly rate of 33.5 visits per 100,000 workers, followed by 22.3 in Madera, 19.0 in Shasta, and 16.2 in Kings.

*We labeled counties with rates of HRI that were more than 15 per 100,000 workers. North to South, the counties are Shasta, Madera, Kings, and Imperial

Occupational Heat Related Injuries and Illnesses California (PDF) | Technical Notes (PDF) Data Brief, key findings from analysis of Workers’ Compensation claims for heat-related illness during 2000–2022.
Extreme Heat and Occupational Health Risks, Annual Review of Public Health, Describes the increased risk of HRI among workers.

Educational Materials

NEW – Discover effective strategies to keep your workplace safe from heat-related illnesses. Visit our Heat Safety Webpages for more information (each webpage includes prevention tips, educational materials, safety requirements, and resources).

(Click below to learn more)

Warehouse worker supervisor using checklist Indoor Employers