CAAA: State Extends Safety Protections to Domestic Service Workers
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 0
California is extending workplace safety and health protections to domestic workers (housecleaners, caregivers, gardeners, etc.) employed by businesses for the first time.
The landmark expansion of these protections was enacted through Senate Bill 1350, which was signed into law in 2024 and just took effect on July 1. The law requires employers to comply with the California Occupational Safety and Health Act and the related regulations in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.
Under SB 1350, an entity that hires household domestic service workers on a temporary or permanent basis will be treated as an employer, subject to the state’s workplace safety rules. These rules mandate that employers establish and maintain injury and illness prevention programs, inspect workplaces for hazards, provide personal protective equipment when required by law and report serious workplace injuries or fatalities to Cal/OSHA immediately. Domestic workers will also have the right to access their employer’s safety plan, receive hazard training and request corrections to unsafe conditions without fear of retaliation.
The law will also apply in certain circumstances to private homeowners who hire domestic workers. While individuals employing workers for “ordinary household domestic tasks” like cleaning, cooking and caregiving are exempt, homeowners who hire for higher-risk work like mold remediation, fire cleanup or home construction are not exempt.
SB 1350 also contains anti-retaliation provisions. Employers are prohibited from threatening, firing, demoting or suspending workers for reporting hazards, filing complaints, refusing unsafe work or participating in an investigation.
SB 1350 is a significant development because it brings a previously excluded workforce under the umbrella of enforceable safety standards, creating new avenues to address workplace injuries and unsafe conditions in the domestic service industry. Attorneys representing injured workers should be aware of these expanded protections, as they may open new claims for retaliation, unsafe workplace violations and related workers’ compensation benefits.
This opinion by the California Applicants' Attorneys Association communications team is republished, with permission, from the CAAA website.
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