As we are hitting the peak of summer and getting hit with a few heat waves, it’s good to be heat-ready, especially for those of us in an industry that spends most of our working hours outdoors.

Extreme heat puts a lot of stress on your body and can be deadly. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can increase the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. These heat-related illnesses can be dangerous or life-threatening.

You have the right to be protected from heat hazards at work, including education on how to stay safe and the ability to take preventative measures to avoid heat illness.

Know the Signs!

Your employer should provide training on the signs and symptoms of heat illness, which include headache, dizziness, nausea, and confusion. If you experience any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

Know What to Do in an Emergency.

If you or someone starts to experience heat illness symptoms, follow these steps to cool down:

• Move to a cool place
• Loosen your clothes
• Sip water
• Use cold clothes or a cool bath to lower your body temperature
• Call 911 if suffering from heat stroke

Heat Safety Tips at Work

For outdoor workers, you are protected from heat illness in several key ways:

• Water – employers must provide and encourage workers to drink at least one quart (32 ounces) of cool, fresh, free drinking water per hour. Drink water every 15 minutes, even if you do not feel thirsty.
• Shade – Request access to shade whenever needed to cool off. Take additional breaks in the shade to prevent overheating.
• Rest – employers must allow – and encourage – cool-down rest breaks in the shade whenever needed to prevent heat illness, in addition to regular breaks.
• Training/Planning – workers and supervisors must be trained on the signs and symptoms of heat illness and know what to do in case of an emergency.

Here is a link to OSHA’s Extreme Heat Fact Sheet https://99calor.org/_downloads/factsheet.english.pdf

Sacramento, CA – The Contractors State License Board has an important reminder for contractors working with treated wood.

On behalf of the treated wood industry, the Western Wood Preservers Institute (WWPI) has geared outreach efforts toward California residents, businesses, contractors, landfills, transfer stations, and waste haulers who are involved in treated wood waste (TWW) disposal. AB 332, which passed in 2021, required the wood-preserving industry to work with state regulators to conduct educational outreach efforts on the handling and disposal requirements.

In spring 2022, WWPI launched the TWWDisposal.org website to provide key information on disposal, including links to landfills authorized to accept treated wood waste. Thousands have accessed the site to learn how to identify treated wood waste and understand the requirements for handling, storage, labeling, and transportation of treated wood waste. To enhance understanding of the regulations, the website is available in both English and Spanish-language versions. The website also includes guidance for contractors who may be generating or disposing of treated wood waste.

CSLB is distributing this message pursuant to subdivision (e) of Health and Safety Code Section 25230.15. Please refer to the Department of Toxic Substances Control website for information on treated wood waste or to the Western Wood Preservers Institute for more information about this message or about treated wood waste in California.

Please note: the information is being provided by CSLB “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. CSLB does not warrant, affirm, or offer any representations as to the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in the outreach materials.

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted a story about contractors getting busted for working without a license. Don’t get it wrong, it’s happening all the time. If you’re working without a license, the CSLB is looking for you. It seems like at least every week we see a story of someone getting busted by the CSLB for working without a license. There’s just no need for it. We make it so easy to get a license.

Just a couple weeks ago the CSLB collaborated with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office on July 9-10 to conduct an undercover sting operation targeting unlicensed contractors. Investigators from CSLB’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) issued Notices to Appear in criminal court to 14 individuals, one with a prior grand theft conviction and another with an arrest warrant for failure to appear in court.

During the operation held in Campbell, law enforcement cited individuals for submitting bids for construction projects that exceeded the legal limit of $500. The bid amounts ranged from $1,400 to $25,000 for jobs including interior painting, bathroom remodeling, driveway replacement, and artificial turf installation. Engaging in contracting work without a valid license is a misdemeanor offense in California, carrying substantial penalties including jail time. In addition, administrative fines up to $15,000 can be assessed.

And just a couple weeks later the CSLB conducted an undercover sting operation targeting unlicensed contractors in Sacramento County.

CSLB’s SWIFT went undercover in mid-July to catch unlicensed contractors in Elk Grove. Eleven unlicensed operators placed bids ranging from about $2,100 for replacing siding to as much as $17,500 for concrete work – all above the $500 threshold that requires a contractor’s license.

In California, contracting without a license provides for administrative fines up to $15,000 and can be charged as a misdemeanor with sentences of up to six months in jail and a $5,000 criminal fine. A second offense results in a mandatory 90-day jail sentence and a fine of 20 percent of the contract price or $5,000 – whichever is greater.

If you’re working without a license, call us! If you have a friend working without a license, CALL US! A bust like that can ruin the career and perhaps even the life of the suspect, don’t let it happen to you or your friends.