After years of bureaucratic delays, the state board overseeing workplace safety standards was expected Thursday to adopt rules that would require employers to safeguard their workers against excessive heat in indoor workspaces.

Under the proposed rules, employers would have to provide cooling areas and monitor workers taking breaks to cool down for signs of heat illness when temperatures inside reach or surpass 82 degrees. If temperatures climb to 87 degrees, or workers are made to work near hot equipment, employers would be mandated to take additional safety precautions to either cool the broader work site, allocate more breaks, rotate out workers or make other adjustments.

But in the hours before the Department of Industrial Relations' Occupational Safety & Health Standards board opened its meeting in San Diego, state officials notified board members and labor groups there would be no vote, leaving the heat safety measure once again in limbo.

A Department of Industrial Relations spokesperson said the decision to postpone the vote was made after state finance officials decided more time was needed to analyze the potential financial impact of the proposed rules for addressing indoor heat on public agencies.

"The Department of Industrial Relations and Cal/OSHA remain committed to addressing indoor heat and are evaluating options to strengthen protections as soon as possible. We will continue to educate and protect workers from the impacts of high temperatures," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Labor leaders and workers pushing for the new standard voiced anger over the delay.

"It's outrageous that after years of advocacy, on the eve of the vote to finally pass this overdue heat standard, we learned that it was pulled from the agenda with no prior notice or explanation," said Lorena Gonzalez, head of the California Labor Federation, in a Thursday news release. "It's shameful that the state of California is turning a blind eye to preventable workplace injuries and deaths."

Gonzalez said the move meant workers in restaurants, schools, manufacturing, hospitals and warehouses would "continue suffering each day they go without any real, enforceable protections from indoor heat exposure."

The Department of Industrial Relations spokesperson said the agency will continue investigating potential indoor heat violations under existing regulations such as the state's injury and illness prevention program, which broadly requires employers to evaluate workplace hazards and unhealthy conditions.

After David Thomas, who chairs the standards board, announced the heat rules had been pulled from the board's meeting agenda, anger built among workers, union leaders and other labor advocates.

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