Blog Archives

Settlements in Fatality & High-Penalty Cal/OSHA Cases

Employers are paying as low as about one-third and as high as 99% of proposed penalties in settlements with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The latest batch of settlements examined by Cal-OSHA Reporter includes two fatality cases and several high-penalty cases involving accidents, complaints, and referrals. Here are the most noteworthy of the … Read More »

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A Uniform Approach to Safety

Cintas, which calls itself “The Uniform People,” has weathered its share of criticism over safety practices that lead to the death of a worker. But since that 2007 incident, Cintas has successfully worked to make safety and health a strong company value. Along the way, the company’s local sites learn from the company’s experience. Now … Read More »

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Black Friday Tradition – Keeping Workers Safe from Crowd Crushes

It’s that time again – the Christmas shopping season. Although online shopping is becoming more the norm, the day after Thanksgiving marks the official start of the retail brick and mortar shopping frenzy. Shoppers looking for bargains can become overzealous in their quest and that has led to trouble for workers, particularly an infamous 2008 … Read More »

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Cal/OSHA Cites Six Employers at Huge Solar Power Project

Cal/OSHA says six employers on a large-scale solar power project in Monterey County failed to protect workers from a dangerous spore that is released when the soil is disturbed. The agency has cited the employers for failing to control “contaminated dust” on the California Flats Solar Project that contains Valley Fever, an illness that in … Read More »

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Fatalities, Citations and the Lessons They Have for Employers

Cal/OSHA, aka, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, has released information on workplace fatalities that have resulted in serious citations against employers. The Division has completed investigations into dozens of fatality cases in the past several months. There are lessons to be learned for the safety community and consequences. The cases show what not … Read More »

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Employment Grows, but California Injuries and Illnesses Decline

California employment grew by several hundred thousand employees in 2016, but that didn’t translate to more workplace injuries and illnesses. In fact, statistics show they dropped slightly from 2015. The state’s injury and illness rate fell slightly. The latest Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) estimates 466,600 recordable cases, down from 470,600 in 2015. … Read More »

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Big Jump in Valley Fever Cases

California health authorities have just begun an investigation into more than 5,000 suspected cases of coccidioidomycosis, otherwise known as Valley Fever. The number of cases this year far outpaces the investigations started in the same periods in 2016 and 2015. The cases, so far, are considered “provisional,” which includes suspect, probable, and confirmed cases. The … Read More »

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Correction

Here is the kind of correction we like to make. In our November 10 issue, in the fatalities section, we reported that an employee of Reno Contracting fell 15 feet from a ladder into an elevator shaft at a building under construction and was killed. That report, based on information provided by Cal/OSHA, turns out … Read More »

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