California Funds Millions for Workplace Rights and Safety Outreach
State agency directs nearly $35 million to local groups educating vulnerable workers on safety, heat rules and labor rights.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- Sep 01, 2026
State workplace safety officials are directing nearly $35 million toward expanding localized education efforts for vulnerable, high-risk workers.
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) allocated $34.9 million to continue the California Workplace Outreach Project (CWOP). The program leverages partnerships with community-based organizations to serve as intermediaries, educating workers on job safety hazards, heat illness prevention, wage theft and workplace rights.
The new funding targets under-resourced regions, including the Central Coast, San Joaquin Valley and Imperial County. Program resources fund direct outreach, community training and multilingual safety guides across the state.
First created in 2021 as a pandemic-response initiative with 61 community partners, the network now includes over 100 grantee organizations. To date, the program has reached more than 2 million workers and employers with educational materials translated into 42 languages, including 11 Indigenous languages.
Grassroots partners conduct door-to-door outreach, host resource fairs and hold safety trainings in high-traffic community areas. During disaster response operations, such as post-wildfire cleanups, participating groups deliver site-specific information on hazardous material exposure and immigrant worker protections. Grantees also focus heavily on extreme heat outreach, informing outdoors workers on hydration, shade breaks and emergency procedures required by state heat safety regulations.
The funding rollout coincided with nationwide Labor Rights Week events, where state safety representatives—including officials from Cal/OSHA, the Labor Commissioner’s Office and the Division of Workers’ Compensation—collaborated with local consulate offices to host virtual and in-person safety workshops throughout the state.
About the Author
Jesse Jacobs is assistant editor of OHSOnline.com.