Short answer: five states make you put heat in writing, two more have rules that only reach farm work or indoor work, and in the other forty-three you are still on the hook through the General Duty Clause. Here is the whole picture on one page, with the citation for each one so you can go read it yourself.
There is no federal heat standard today. OSHA proposed one on August 30, 2024 and it is still pending. That does not mean nobody is looking: OSHA runs a heat National Emphasis Program, directive CPL 03-00-024, updated April 10, 2026, covering 55 high-risk industries and sending inspectors out on days the National Weather Service posts a heat advisory.
| State | Rule | Written plan? | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 8 CCR 3395 outdoor, 3396 indoor | YES, and in two languages | The plan must be in writing in English and the language the majority of your employees understand, 3395(i). Shade over 80 F, high heat at 95 F, cool-down rest never under 5 minutes. |
| Oregon | OAR 437-002-0156 | YES, plus two more written pieces | A written plan, a written acclimatization plan and a written rest break schedule. Oregon reads the heat index, not the thermometer: 80 F to start, 90 F for high heat. |
| Washington | WAC 296-62-095 series | YES, inside your written APP | The heat content goes in your written accident prevention program, in a language employees understand. Starts at 80 F, or 52 F in vapor barrier clothing. |
| Maryland | COMAR 09.12.32 | YES | A written Heat-Related Illness Prevention and Management Plan. Heat index 80 F, high heat at 90 F. Effective September 30, 2024. This shop's plan does not cover Maryland. |
| Nevada | NRS 618.383 and reg R131-24 | YES if you have more than 10 employees | Heat provisions go inside the written safety program, plus a one-time written job hazard analysis for heat. Not covered by this shop's plan. |
| Colorado | 7 CCR 1103-15 | Agricultural work only | Colorado's heat rules sit in the Agricultural Labor Conditions Rules. Construction is not covered by them. |
| Minnesota | Minn. R. 5205.0110 | Indoor work only | Minnesota's standard is an indoor heat rule. Outdoor construction is not covered by it. |
No heat standard of its own. You are under the General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, which says the workplace has to be free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious harm. Heat counts, and OSHA has cited it that way. A written plan is not required by name, and it is still the cleanest way to show you took the hazard seriously before somebody got hurt.
California wants the plan in two languages. Not the training, the plan itself. 8 CCR 3395(i) says it has to be in writing "in both English and the language understood by the majority of the employees." Washington wants its program in a language employees understand. Oregon wants training in a language and vocabulary readily understood.
If most of your crew speaks Spanish and your plan is English only, you have not met the California rule, no matter how good the plan is.
Free, and you should do this first
Read your own state rule. Every citation above links to the state or to OSHA. Cal/OSHA, Oregon OSHA and Washington L and I all publish free sample plans, and OSHA has a free model plan too. If a free sample fits your work and your language, use it and keep your money.
If you want it done and bilingual
The shop sells a Bilingual Heat Illness Prevention Plan, 18 pages, English and Spanish side by side with one shared set of fill-in lines, and a separate supplement page for California, Oregon and Washington. It is $24 and it is a template: filled in it is your plan, blank it is paper.
Where this came from. Every rule on this page was read off the state's own posted text or off OSHA's own state-standards page on 2026-08-05: Cal/OSHA 3395, Oregon OAR 437-002-0156, Washington WAC 296-62-095, Maryland COMAR 09.12.32, Nevada R131-24, OSHA state standards and OSHA heat rulemaking. I am a working steel erector, not a lawyer. Rules change, and this page is not legal advice. If it ever disagrees with your state's rule, the rule wins, and I want to know so I can fix it.
Training aid, not legal advice. It supports your company's safety program and current OSHA standards, it doesn't replace them. One purchase covers your company: print all your own crews need, on all your own jobs.
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