BURBANK – With its Cooperative Compliance Program (CCP) on hold by court order, Fed-OSHA has turned to selective enforcement, drawing from a pool of 3,300 employers in 99 industries. OSHA Administrator Charles Jeffress expressed regret that the CCP, which is based on voluntary partnerships with 12,000 employers with the highest injury and illness rates in …
BURBANK – After reading the series of articles in the San Francisco Chronicle devoted to how ineffectual Cal-OSHA is at protecting health care workers and how safer needles are kept out of hospitals, Assemblywoman Carole Migden wrote to Cal-OSHA Chief John Howard to express her concern. Migden chairs the powerful Committee on Appropriations. She said …
BURBANK – In a petition that reached the Cal-OSH Standards Board in early March, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) asked for a rewrite of General Industry 5193, the bloodborne pathogens standard, to require employers to collect data on the type and brand of device involved in a sharp object injury. The request ties in …
BURBANK – Fed-OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard was drafted because of strong pressure from SEIU (Service Employees International Union). It is now being challenged by the union and at least one medical device manufacturer. The union has enlisted the help of Sen. Barbara Boxer (who is running for reelection); Retractable Technologies, Inc., has contacted The Hon. …
BURBANK – On the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, on income tax day, was an illustration of three types of safety needles produced for hospital use by three manufacturers. Six billion medical needles are sold every year. According to the article, the Becton Dickinson Safety-Lok needle that has the least effective safety design …
BURBANK – A two-day sweep of 46 San Diego area restaurants, conducted by the Targeted Industries Partnership Program (TIPP), resulted in $243,950 in penalty assessments issued for labor law violations and approximately $67,380 for workplace safety and health violations, John C. Duncan, Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations, has announced. “In 1996, over …
BURBANK – State Labor Commissioner Jose Millan’s outreach efforts include coordinating educational forums as well as assisting organizations requesting speakers. The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement can provide staff knowledgeable about new labor laws, compliance and health and safety issues. Industries interested in a presentation may contact outreach coordinator Grace Bos at 415-975-0762. Presentations are …
BURBANK – HESIS, the Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service, has released a new fact sheet on trichloroethylene. It is the latest in HESIS’ ongoing series of chemical information sheets intended for workers, employers and others in the lay audience. Each four-page fact sheet is directed at a specific chemical’s potential health effects, biological and …