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Arizona heat illness prevention plan: what the April 2026 guidelines say

Checked against Arizona’s published heat guidance on Oct 29, 2026 · By Anchor Point Apps · Not legal advice

On April 9, 2026 the Industrial Commission of Arizona approved employer heat guidance developed by the governor’s Workplace Heat Safety Task Force. Here’s what it asks for, in plain English, and where the limits are.

What happened

The Industrial Commission of Arizona, which oversees ADOSH, voted unanimously on April 9, 2026 to approve the task force’s recommendations. The task force had submitted them at the end of December 2025. The recommendations feed into ADOSH’s Heat State Emphasis Program (SEP), which was updated effective April 9, 2026 (directive CPL 03-00-024, superseding the July 2023 version).

What it is, and isn’t

It’s guidance, not a standard. Safety+Health Magazine describes it as “not an enforceable standard,” and Cronkite News reports the commission moved forward with guidelines without launching a rulemaking. Fifteen of the task force’s 24 members had urged binding rules; the final recommendation didn’t include enforcement provisions. The commission ordered a report on how the new guidance is working by the end of 2026, so this could change.

The recommendations document uses “must” language when describing plan elements. Read that as the expectation ADOSH has for a good plan, not as a new law with a fine schedule. In practice, heat citations in Arizona have rested on the general duty clause (every employer must provide a workplace free of recognized hazards). A written plan with records is how you show you took the hazard seriously.

What the plan is supposed to cover

The task force’s final recommendations say employers should develop, implement and maintain a written Heat Illness Prevention Plan that includes:

• Responsibilities. Who owns the plan, who supervises each crew, and who can stop work.
• Water. Free, potable, cool drinking water close to the work. For water that isn’t plumbed, the task force recommends enough at the start of the shift for at least one quart per employee per hour, or an effective procedure to replenish it. “Cool” is described as ideally 59°F, with clean, regularly maintained containers.
• Shade. Natural or constructed shade that doesn’t trap heat, big enough for employees on break to sit in a natural posture, open on at least three sides (or mechanically ventilated), close to the work and free of hazards. Functioning air-conditioned buildings or vehicles can count.
• Rest. Workers can take a preventive cool-down rest in the shade, without penalty, when they feel the need; intervals should reflect temperature, humidity, workload, PPE and acclimatization.
• Acclimatization. A written plan: either follow the CDC/NIOSH acclimatization plan, or design your own that covers acclimatized vs. unacclimatized workers, the heat load of clothing and PPE, higher-risk workers, and re-acclimatizing returning workers.
• Training. For supervisors and employees before heat exposure, in a language they understand, covering employer responsibilities and employee rights, your written procedures, risk factors, monitoring tools, types and signs of heat illness with first aid and emergency response, drinking small amounts of water often, acclimatization, and reporting symptoms right away. Retrain at least annually before exposure, and after a serious heat-related illness. Keep training records.

Who’s exempt

The recommendations exempt incidental heat exposure (no more than 15 minutes of heat work in any 60-minute period), emergency operations such as rescue, medical, structural firefighting, law enforcement, utilities and communications, and buildings with mechanical ventilation that keeps the heat index below 80°F. See our exemptions guide.

Worth knowing: ADOSH publishes a free, customizable example Heat Illness Prevention Plan and offers free, non-enforcement consultations (the Arizona Farm Bureau lists the consultation line as (602) 542-1769; confirm on the ADOSH heat page). If you’re comfortable editing a generic template, start there. A paid builder only makes sense if you’d rather answer a short set of questions and get a plan, training sign-in sheet and logs tailored to your trade and crew, in English and Spanish.

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Quick answers

Not legal advice. Not a government site. Heatplan AZ is an independent project of Anchor Point Apps LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Industrial Commission of Arizona, ADOSH, OSHA, or any other government agency. Nothing here is legal or safety-engineering advice, and using a plan, checklist or guide doesn’t guarantee compliance, a clean inspection, or any outcome. Talk to a qualified safety professional or attorney about your operation.