Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E), the giant public company dominating Northern California utilities, has faced a myriad of lawsuits and heaps of criticism regarding its safety practices in recent years. From the deadly 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion to the wildfires in the past two years that are alleged or believed to have …
The Cal/OSH Appeals Board has largely absolved one employer in a 2017 case involving alleged exposure to Valley Fever. Administrative Law Judge Christopher Merrill ruled that an employee of Papich Construction did not contract the disease, formally known as Coccidioidomycosis, in connection with his employment and that the employer did not fail to prevent harmful …
The Cal/OSH Standards Board says an advisory committee has agreed on revisions to the General Industry Safety Orders on avalanche control procedures. While the proposal is not final and the board is still accepting comments from the committee on the “proposed consensus recommendation,” the language is close to what the board will formally propose. The …
We recently reported on California’s 2017 estimated injury and illness numbers and rates. California has 466,000 projected injuries and illnesses, and a rate of 3.6, essentially the same as 2016. The state also had a “days away, restricted duty and transfer” (DART) rate of 57% for all sectors, 60% for private industry and 46% for …
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued draft language for what would be a first-in-the-nation standard to protect healthcare workers from surgical plume, a byproduct of medical procedures. The Division recently hosted an advisory committee to determine if such a standard is necessary. Now the agency appears to be working toward a formal …
Falls continue to take a deadly toll on California workers, with three more such incidents in recent days. Vehicle encounters, another major workplace fatality source, also contributed to the latest incidents. The falls were in Diamond Bar, San Diego and Palo Alto. In Diamond Bar, a tree trimmer for The Professional Tradesman fell between 40 …
The California Constructon and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA) has recognized five individuals and companies with its 2018 safety excellence awards. The awardees were honored on November 13 in Anaheim. The awards are not “based on statistics, but … a descriptive assessment of what is happening at the location,” CalCIMA says. “It is not easy to …
The Cal/OSH Standards Board has voted to appoint Christina Shupe as its new executive officer, replacing the retired Marley Hart. The vote came at the board’s November meeting in Walnut Creek. Shupe is currently the director of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, where she has worked since 2011. She previously had been the business development …