“Household Occupations” means all services related to the care of persons or maintenance of a private household or its premises by an employee of a private householder. Said occupations shall include, but not be limited to, the following: butlers, chauffeurs, companions, cooks, day workers, gardeners, graduate nurses, grooms, house cleaners, housekeepers, maids, practical nurses, tutors, valets, and other similar occupations.
Persons employed in such occupations by any employer other than the private householder are covered by some other order.
Note: Personal attendants are only covered by Sections 1, 2, 4, 10 and 15 or Order 15. A personal attendant includes babysitters and means “any person employed by a private householder or by any third party employer recognized in the health care industry to work in a private household, to supervise, feed, or dress a child or person who by reason of advanced age, physical disability or mental deficiency needs supervision. The status of “personal attendant” shall not apply when no significant amount of work other than the foregoing is required. The phrase “no significant amount of work other than the foregoing” in the definition means not more than twenty percent (20%) of the work time. Usually, such “other work” involves housekeeping duties such as making beds, preparing meals, washing clothes, and other similar services. It should be noted that practical nurses and companions are explicitly covered by Order 15 and may not be exempted as personal attendants even though many of their duties are the same. Any worker who regularly gives medication or takes temperatures or pulse or respiratory rate, regardless of the amount of time such duties take, falls within some classification of nurse, licensed or unlicensed.
The Industrial Welfare Commission was established to regulate wages, hours and working conditions in California. IWC wage orders must be posted by all employers in an area frequented by employees, where they may be easily read during the workday.