“Recovery” Period Added to List of Required Breaks for Employees

California Labor Code Section 226.7, which requires employers to provide meal and rest breaks to their employees without interruption (i.e. requiring the employees to work during these periods), has been expanded as of January 1, 2014, to include within its scope any recovery period mandated by state law under Cal/OSHA’s “heat illness” standard. That is, no employer may require an employee to work during the necessary recovery period.  This new law is most likely to affect employees who work outdoors. Under the current heat illness standard, such employees must be provided a cool down period of at least five minutes in the shade on an “as needed” basis to prevent them from suffering heat-related conditions, such as heat stroke.