BRIEFING


MEET THE EXPERTS


Turning down the heat in California kitchens


New Cal/OSHA rule limits indoor ambient air temperatures for restaurants and foodservice establishments. Amelia Levin explores what this means for operators, manufacturers and consultants


T


From top: Richard Young, director of outreach, Food Service Technology Center; Charlie Souhrada, vice president, regulatory & technical, NAFEM; David Zabrowski, vice president, Frontier Energy


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he California division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has passed


a new rule, requiring indoor ambient air temperatures to not exceed 87 degrees Fahrenheit in workplaces and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for workplaces requiring workers to wear protective clothing and other gear or workplaces with high radiant heat areas, such as commercial kitchens.


POTENTIAL HEADACHES Te rule comes following an initial proposal back in 2017 to address working conditions


for restaurant workers and other laborers that was held up for some time in a back- and-forth debate with California Governor Gavin Newsom over temperatures in prisons, which are exempt from the new rule. “OSHA’s proposed rule to address heat


hazards in both indoor and outdoor work environments is just one of many regulatory issues NAFEM has been watching closely because of the potential impact on the manufacture and use of commercial foodservice equipment and supplies,” says Charlie Souhrada, NAFEM’s vice president of regulatory & technical affairs. “At the >


C M Y CM MY CY CMY K


THE AMERICAS


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