BERKELEY – COR reader David Burpeau is the safety officer for the Otay Water District in San Diego County. He is justifiably proud of its award-winning safety program. “The district has worked more than 14 months without a lost time accident,” Burpeau told COR. “No other water district our size has ever done this. Our …
BURBANK – For the ninth year, the team of Robert Peterson, Esq., and Joel Cohen, C.I.H., has presented a series of Cal-OSHA update seminars. One feature is to invite a Cal-OSHA manager to speak. A newer feature, witnessed by COR on April 2, is to select a significant regulation and fashion a scenario related to …
BURBANK – Do proper labels protect the company? “No. Prop. 65 permits private lawsuits and puts the burden of proof on you.” Environmental groups have filed many lawsuits, Cohen said. Manufacturers joined forces and petitioned Fed-OSHA for relief. Several lawsuits are pending. The question is whether Cal-OSHA’s HCS with its reference to Prop. 65 is …
BURBANK – Head injuries, while rare, “are catastrophic when they happen,” says James P. Kelly, the neurologist who directs brain injury treatment at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. “(I)f (workers) really knew how useless their traditional hardhats are in a fall, then they wouldn’t even wear them at all,” he told Engineering News-Record. The biggest …
BURBANK – In follow-up Executive Order W-144-97, issued in January, Governor Pete Wilson announced continuation of his “effort to minimize the regulatory impact on business, local governments, the state’s business climate, and the state’s economic competitiveness.” The latest order calls for a consolidated regulatory program beginning July 1, to be led by the directors of …
BERKELEY – This week’s issue contains an update to DIRECTORY pages 50-001 to -006, which cover personnel and contact telephone numbers for Cal-OSHA administration, compliance and consultation offices; the Cal-OSH Standards and Appeals Boards and advisory committee members; local Fed-OSHA information; sources for regulations and codes; and a variety of other resources state- and nation-wide …
BERKELEY – Four bills introduced by Assembly Member Richard Floyd are of some interest. AB 869 to permit continued tobacco smoking in bars and casinos is dead. The other three apparently are still viable. TRAFFIC CONTROL SAFETY: AB 140 (Baca and Floyd) was passed by the Labor and Employment Committee with all ayes. As amended …
BERKELEY – Support for listening to what employers say about the adequacy of safety services provided by their workers’ comp carriers has come from an unlikely source—Keith Lessner, vice president for safety of the Alliance of American Insurers. In a lengthy telephone interview, he told COR it is important to identify those employers who are …