Which safety documents does my state require?
What a contractor must have in writing depends on the state: California alone requires an IIPP, a workplace violence prevention plan, and heat illness procedures, while five states mandate written heat plans and every state layers federal OSHA plus GC and prequal demands on top. Answer five questions and get your checklist, with each document linked to where you can read about it or generate it in minutes.
Common questions
▸Which states require a heat illness prevention plan?
California (8 CCR 3395 outdoor and 3396 indoor), Oregon (OAR 437-002-0156), Washington (WAC 296-62-095), Nevada (regulation R131-24, for employers over 10 employees), and Maryland (COMAR 09.12.32). Everywhere else, federal OSHA enforces heat protection through the General Duty Clause and its heat National Emphasis Program.
▸What does California require that other states do not?
A written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (8 CCR 3203) for virtually every employer, a written workplace violence prevention plan (Labor Code section 6401.9) for nearly all employers, and written heat illness prevention procedures. No other state stacks all three.
▸My state is not on any list. Do I need anything written?
Federal OSHA still applies: hazard communication (a written program), emergency action planning, fall protection training, and recordkeeping. And contract requirements usually bite before the law does: GCs want site-specific safety plans and JHAs, and prequal portals want a full written safety program.
▸I work in more than one state. Which rules apply?
The rules of the state where the work happens. Crews crossing into California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, or Maryland pick up those states’ requirements for that work, which is why multi-state contractors typically write to the strictest state they touch.
Heat illness prevention planCalifornia IIPPWorkplace violence prevention planTRIR calculatorFree toolbox talks