Smoke Regulations and Air Quality

At Shasta College, the health and safety of our employees and campus community are our top priority. We adhere to Cal/OSHA’s air quality standards to ensure a safe and healthy working environment, particularly during periods of wildfire smoke or poor air quality.

Monitoring Air Quality

Our team monitors the Air Quality Index (AQI) daily, with a focus on PM2.5 levels, to assess risk and ensure compliance with Cal/OSHA guidelines.

Safety Measures and Guidelines

Indoor Air Quality & Ventilation

We maintain safe indoor air quality by enhancing ventilation to mitigate outdoor smoke effects. Employees are encouraged to work in indoor spaces with filtered air when AQI levels rise.

For additional resources on how to stay smoke-ready, please refer to Smoke Ready California.

Cal/OSHA Requirements

Under the Cal/OSHA wildfire smoke regulation, Shasta College follows these steps to protect employees:

  1. Identify Harmful Exposure: At the start of each shift, we check AQI levels for PM2.5 and monitor them throughout the day. This practice ensures that all employees are aware of potential airborne particulate hazards.
  2. Reduce Exposure When Feasible: Whenever possible, we reduce exposure to wildfire smoke by:
    • Relocating work to indoor locations with filtered air
    • Moving outdoor work to areas where AQI for PM2.5 is 150 or below
  3. Provide Respiratory Protection & Training: When exposure cannot be reduced below an AQI of 150 for PM2.5:
    • N95 respirators are provided to employees for voluntary use from Campus Safety
    • N95 Mask training is available to all employees

For more information, review Cal/OSHA regulations or view facts on Protecting Workers Exposed to Wildfire Smoke (PDF).