Cal/OSHA is enforcing the aerosol transmissible diseases standard in healthcare settings with COVID exposure. But the agency is on the path to explicitly include SARS-CoV-2 among the diseases employers must protect against under General Industry Safety Orders §5199. A draft proposal, released by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, was discussed at a recent …
The nomination of Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker to take over as Assistant Secretary of Labor, aka, Fed-OSHA chief could come to a vote this week. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer ended debate on Parker’s nomination, paving the way for a vote. Parker was approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee in …
The National Safety Council’s annual safety awards include two California residents, Carter Divine and Guy Wright. They are being recognized for two vastly different but commendable contributions to safety. Divine, stationed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) at Port Hueneme, is honored as one of NSC’s 38 “Rising Stars of Safety.” The awards recognize …
Falls are one of the most persistent hazards in the workplace. They are one of California’s leading sources of occupational injuries and fatalities. Each year, dozens of California employees die from falls, including the simple act of tripping. They also account for thousands of injuries requiring days away from work. And while many fall hazards …
There are nine new workplace fatalities under investigation, five of them reported as COVID-related. The non-COVID fatalities include: A crushing death in Rancho Cordova. An employee of M&S Recycle was crushed while working underneath a vehicle when it slipped off a lift. A fall in Bakersfield, where an employee of Slater Plumbing and Mechanical fell …
Fed-OSHA has threatened to revoke “final approval” of three state plans over their refusal to adopt emergency temporary standards on COVID for healthcare. In response, Arizona says it is working on a standard, but not on an emergency basis. The other two states, South Carolina and Utah, decried the move. Earlier this year, Fed-OSHA adopted …
After nearly 40-years with Cal/OSHA, the past 20-plus as the Standards Board’s Principal Engineer, Michael Manieri is calling it a career. He will officially retire from the board on November 23rd. His personal history is closely intertwined with the history of Cal-OSHA. “The principal engineer is a very typical middle-management position,” Manieri tells Cal-OSHA Reporter. …