Risk Connection: Air Quality and Related Concerns
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May 2024
Air Quality Awareness
As warmer weather approaches for most of the United States, numerous factors may contribute to less-than-ideal air quality. These may include greater risk of wildfires, increased emissions from a higher number of vehicles on the road, or an uptick in the manufacturing sector resulting in industrial waste. That’s why we’re raising awareness about Air Quality Week and encouraging you and your team to educate yourselves on this year’s theme of “Knowing Your Air” and how it may impact your workforce. LEARN MORE >
Air Quality Index (AQI) Safety Checklist
- Employers should decide whether smoke protection requirements apply to them. Is the job site in an office building or an outdoor location? The rule only pertains to outdoor work.
- Employers should check if the AQI for PM 2.5 is 151 or greater by visiting government websites such as AirNow.com.
- Note: Be cautious of using third-party sources such as The Weather Channel. These sources will give a universal AQI reading, but not detail the PM 2.5 — which is what employers need to know.
- Employers should take compliance steps when AQI for PM 2.5 levels go over 150. There are two thresholds’ employers need to understand: AQI for PM 2.5 levels over 150 and PM 2.5 levels over 500. Each threshold triggers its own set of requirements.
Wildfire Smoke Protection
An emergency regulation requiring California employers to protect employees from potential harm due to wildfire smoke went into effect in July of 2019. This is the first standard of its kind requiring employers in California to protect their outdoor workers from potentially unhealthy smoke created by wildfires.
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