New petitions to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board seek engineering controls for a common task in healthcare settings, and for warning signs at construction sites about respiratory protection. The Board has six months to take action on these petitions. A petition from California Nurses for Environmental Health & Justice (CNEH&J) would require the use of fume …
Cal/OSHA’s Appeals Board approved hundreds of settlements in citation cases during January, including eight involving fatalities. Many of these deaths were preventable, and Cal-OSHA Reporter provides the incident summaries for the lessons learned. Others may be the result of the deceased’s own judgment or actions. Here are the case summaries and results. Developer Kenneth Leon, …
There are six new workplace fatalities in California. In Bakersfield, an employee of Salvador Vega Deanda, doing business as Platinum Towing and Recycling, was found crushed by a vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. In San Jose, a shuttle driver for US Foods died from internal injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle …
The State Fire Marshal says his agency has completed its investigation into the deadly July 1st, 2025, explosion at Yolo County fireworks warehouse that killed seven workers. Chief Daniel Berlant, who heads the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM), which oversees Cal Fire, says its report is now headed to the Yolo County District …
Like many safety professionals, Christopher Ross didn’t start his career in safety. In fact, he earned a degree in communications from Cal State Sacramento in the late 1990s. And he began his career not in safety, but in workers’ compensation. And it fits because safety determines outcomes in workers’ comp. But safety found him, and …
Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued citations in fatality cases initiated in the spring and summer of 2025. One case is in the six-figure penalty range. These incidents were previously reported in Cal-OSHA’s Reporter’s Workplace Fatality Update. Here’s a follow-up on the preliminary outcomes. Ruben’s Pipeline: This Bakersfield-based company faces several serious …
Dave Thomas, who chaired the Cal/OSHA Standards Board from 2013 until 2024, when he was abruptly removed as Chair by the governor, has retired from the Board. His term was set to expire in June. “Dave has dedicated his life to fighting for workers, for employees, for folks that toil every day here in California,” …