Stakeholders appear supportive of a Cal/OSHA Standards Board proposal to adopt a new federal rule on the proper fit for construction personal protective equipment (PPE). However, they caution that those enforcing the rule should consider the limitations when trying to obtain the right equipment for some workers. The comments came at a public hearing on …
Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health is designated to get a 13% budget cut for the coming fiscal year under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May revise. The Division will also lose some hiring authorization for 66 unfilled positions, but few involve inspectors. Other parts of the Cal/OSHA program were spared cuts in the budget plan. …
The recent National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction included training demonstrations nationwide, including many in California. These private events are intended to educate construction workers about the serious issue of fall protection. Here’s what one safety professional told construction employees at two events in the Bay Area during stand-down week. Menlo Park’s Rudolph and …
Tesla Motors is appealing a Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board award of an extra 50% to an injured worker’s benefits based on a finding of “serious and willful” disregard for safety at the sprawling Fremont facility. WCAB is holding Tesla’s feet to the fire, but it’s unclear if Cal/OSHA even investigated this incident or if Tesla …
Under draft language released by Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health to implement recent legislation, employers would have to take extra heat illness prevention steps for some employees when temperatures reach 80ºF, indoors or outdoors. The draft revisions to the heat illness prevention standards, General Industry Safety Orders §§ 3395 and 3396, are intended …
More employers have received Cal/OSHA recognition for their efforts to create effective Injury and Illness Prevention Programs under the Golden Gate Partnership Program. The latest recipients are: Anning-Johnson Co., a Melrose Park, Illinois, construction contractor, for a worksite in Aliso Viejo. The company has a 65 experience modification factor (EMR). The firm has workers’ comp …
In April, the Cal/OSHA Appeals Board approved hundreds of settlements in Cal/OSHA cases. Here are some of the most significant cases, including those involving fatalities and serious injuries and one involving CalTrans. Universal Building Maintenance, dba, Allied Universal Janitorial Services: This Las Vegas, Nevada-based employer will pay $48,150 (53%) of the $90,500 proposed following the …
There are five new California workplace fatalities. In Palm Desert, an employee at Marriott’s Desert Springs Villas fell 20 feet into a utility vault. Emergency crews measured hydrogen sulfide gas in the vault, requiring them to wear respiratory protection to retrieve the man, which took about two hours, according to a newspaper report. The man …