Cal/OSHA regulates employee safety at places of employment. Historically, household domestic services were excluded from the definition of a “place of employment” and therefore Cal/OSHA’s jurisdiction. With a swish of his duster pen, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 1350, which removes this exemption and grants Cal/OSHA control over household domestic services with the following exceptions:
- Household domestic service that is publicly funded, including publicly funded household domestic service provided to a recipient, client, or beneficiary with a share of the cost of that service.
- Employment in family daycare homes, as defined.
- Individuals who, in their own residences, privately employ persons to perform for the benefit of such individuals what are commonly regarded as ordinary domestic household tasks, including housecleaning, cooking, and caregiving.
All other household domestic services will be governed by Cal/OSHA’s workplace safety requirements effective July 1, 2025.
