Two Southern California employers face almost $600,000 in penalties due to Cal/OSHA COVID investigations. Cal/OSHA says Overhill Farms, based in Vernon, and Jobsource North America, based in Fullerton, failed to institute COVID-19 precautions at two Vernon food processing plants, and 20 employees contracted the disease. One employee died, and Overhill failed to report that fatality …
Several months after the traditional fall-prevention stand-down events would have been held, the whole country stood down in the midst of a pandemic that came from Wuhan China. Business leaders, labor organizations, community groups, and other construction industry participated in virtual or socially distanced events this week. It was led by Fed-OSHA, which kicked off …
There are almost two dozen new workplace fatalities, including 13 from COVID-19. First, here are the non-COVID incidents: In Rocklin, Placer County, an employee of Century Commercial Service fell approximately 30 feet from a scissor lift. In the Long Beach area, a driver for Gonzalez Logistics slipped and fell while inspecting a truck, receiving fatal …
Cal/OSHA has issued COVID-19-related citations to 11 employers, including six agricultural employers, three in meatpacking or food processing, and one each in health care and retail. But only one of the cited employers suffered a COVID illness – Sutter Bay Medical Foundation in Berkeley. A review of the specific cites appears below, and the accompanying …
Revisions to Cal/OSHA Appeals Board rules to streamline its processes and prevent employers’ appeals from being rejected on technicalities are set to take effect on October 1st. The rulemaking package has been approved by the state Office of Administrative Law. The main change is to relieve employers from providing copies of their citations. Under the …
The latest settlements approved by the Cal/OSHA Appeals Board include two fatalities, several serious accidents, a workplace violence complaint at a San Francisco hospital, and some eye-popping proposed penalties in complaint and other non-accident cases. Here’s how things worked out as employers and the Division of Occupational Safety and Health sat down to talk. In …
Four safety-related COVID-19 bills have been passed and sent to Governor Gavin Newsom. AB 2043, for instance, is aimed at better informing farmer laborers about COVID protections. The measure by Assemblymen Lorena Gonzalez, Robert Rivas, and Eduardo Garcia is the “marquee bill” of a farm laborer relief package, Rivas says. It aims to educate farm …
Have you heard this one before? Cal/OSHA rulemaking proposals that have been hanging fire for years may finally be close to becoming formal proposals. They include revisions of the rules on employers’ first-aid kits and a major controversial update to the construction and general industry lead standards. In the case of first aid kits, the …