Protecting California Workers from Wildfire Smoke

Recorded on June 3, 2020

With the Labor Occupational Health Program

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Protecting California Workers from Wildfire Smoke

About the Webinar: 

California has experienced deadly and destructive fire seasons that are predicted to become more frequent. As a result, many workers are impacted by unhealthy air quality, including farm workers and school employees. Cal/OSHA developed an emergency standard on wildfire smoke in 2019. In this webinar, learners will explore the standard’s requirements, review how it applies in agricultural and school settings, and recommendations for preparing worksites for future wildfire seasons. Presenters will also describe what employers must do and how workers can be protected, and share educational resources to use in training.

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify hazards and health effects of wildfire smoke and protective measures for the workplace

  2. Describe the requirements of the new Cal/OSHA standard on wildfire smoke

  3. Apply the standard requirements in two sectors: schools and agriculture

Instructor Biographies

Suzanne Teran is Associate Director of the Labor Occupational Health Program at UC Berkeley and focuses much of her work on developing programs for immigrant workers, including addressing wildfire smoke hazards. Kevin Riley is Director of Research and Evaluation at the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Program, and he co-facilitates LOSH’s School Action for Safety and Health training courses for school personnel. Teresa Andrews is an Education and Outreach Specialist at the UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, has extensive experience working with cultural minorities, and has developed materials and conducted training for farm workers on wildfire smoke. 

Webinar Resources

PDF of Slides: Download

PDF of Resources: Download