There are six new California workplace fatalities. Struck-by incidents account for five of the six. In Long Beach, an employee of Cabrillo Boat Shop was operating an electric golf cart on a dock and struck his head against the side of an anchored boat. He succumbed some two weeks after the incident. The employer has …
Among the damage from cuts to, and reorganization of, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) isan issue near and dear to some of California’s wildland firefighters: A respirator for use in fighting the blazes. As Cal-OSHA Reporter reported in January, one of the prototype respirators field-tested in the summer of 2023 is …
Under a proposal by the Cal/OSHA Standards Board, the term “technical diving” will be eliminated, but procedures under that concept, which divers in California say are crucial to safety, will be preserved. Fed-OSHA has approved the changes. Thus ends a regulatory saga that began more than 10 years ago when the Board moved to adopt …
Monday, April 28th, is the annual commemoration of Workers’ Memorial Day to “remember and honor the workers who lost their lives on the job,” in the words of the Department of Industrial Relations. Commemorations will be held all over the state. Fortunately, during the past week or so, there were no work-related fatalities in California, …
A former Cal/OSHA enforcement deputy chief says the emergency cleanup of fire-stricken Los Angeles-area neighborhoods has ignored safety protocols and exposed crews to potentially contaminated debris, including asbestos. State officials, meanwhile, provide a different story. They say strict protocols are in place, and Cal/OSHA has made concerted efforts to raise awareness of the hazards inherent …
The following employers have received recognition from Cal/OSHA for their workplace safety efforts with certification into the Voluntary Protection Program and the Golden Gate Partnership Program. VPP: Aerojet Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, which recently recertified. A designer and manufacturer of propulsion systems, the company has a 95 Experience Modification Rating (EMR). Aerojet has been in …
Several bills of interest to California’s occupational safety and health community are moving through their respective houses of origin. Here’s the status of the latest legislation. AB 694, by Assemblyman Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), seeks to develop a “pipeline program” for the Cal/OSHA inspection force, given its longstanding vacancy rate and difficulty finding enough qualified inspectors. …