DIR Clarifies Requirement to Provide Water in Precedential Decision

The California Department of Industrial Relations on Monday said its Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board issued a precedential decision clarifying what it means for employers to provide water “as close as practicable.” The board in a Feb. 6 decision declared that for the purposes of providing water to prevent heat illness, “as close as practicable” means that “water must be as close as reasonably can be accomplished in order to encourage frequent water consumption,” the DIR said in a statement. The case stems from penalties assessed to Rios F...