(a) The heat illness prevention standards set forth in Section 3395 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations shall be known, and may be cited, as the Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez heat illness standard.

(b) The division, before December 1, 2025, shall submit to the standards board a rulemaking proposal to consider revising Section 3395 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations and Section 5141.1 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. In preparing the proposed regulations, the division shall consider revising the following:

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(1) The heat illness standard in subdivision (a), to do the following:

(A) Require employers to distribute a copy of the Heat Illness Prevention Plan to all new employees upon hire and upon training required by Section 3395 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, but no more than twice per year to each employee.

(B) Require employers to distribute a copy of the Heat Illness Prevention Plan to all employees at least once on an annual basis.

(2) With regard to farmworkers, the wildfire smoke standards set forth in Section 5141.1 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, to reduce the AQI threshold for PM2.5 at which control by respiratory protective equipment becomes mandatory for farmworkers to, at a maximum, an AQI of 301 or more. The proposed threshold may be lower than 301 AQI or more, as determined by the division. For an AQI above 301, the employer need not implement fit testing and medical evaluations or otherwise implement requirements under Section 5144 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.

(c) The standards board shall review the proposed changes and consider adopting revised standards for the standards described in subdivision (b) on or before December 31, 2025.

(d) The division shall consider developing regulations, or revising existing regulations, related to additional protections related to acclimatization to higher temperatures, especially following an absence of a week or more from working in ultrahigh heat settings, including after an illness.

(e) As used in this section:

(1) “AQI” means air quality index.

(2) “PM2.5” means solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in air, known as particulate matter, with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 778, Sec. 1. (AB 2243) Effective January 1, 2023.)