Qualifying for Cal/OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) is hard to achieve – that’s why there are only 64 VPP Star sites in California. Sometimes, though, the hardest part is staying in the program. Many sites have dropped out because of the stiff requirements for continuous improvement. Not so Valero’s Benicia Refinery, which, along with its …
In the wake of outbreaks, mostly among the homeless and street people, of hepatitis A in major metropolitan areas of California and even some smaller regions, Cal/OSHA is cautioning employers in several industries to take preventive measures with employees to prevent the disease’s spread. Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Cruz counties have reported significant …
The National Safety Council says that sleep deficiency among workers, including undiagnosed disorders such as sleep apnea, is costing American employers millions of dollars. The council says employers could cut those losses in half by engaging in a sleep health program. A U.S. employer with 1,000 workers can lose approximately $1.4 million per year due …
September has proven deadly for 10 California employees, who were killed in workplace incidents, plus others who died from natural causes on the job. Many of the work-related incidents involved vehicles and equipment. Here is our update: In the Bakersfield area, an employee of Edison Freight was crushed while working under a raised flatbed trailer. …
A Sonoma County judge has ordered Sonoma State University to pay $2.9 Million in an asbestos-related lawsuit. But only one forth – $725,000 – of it will go to the more than 200 university employees for potential exposure to asbestos at the Rohnert Park campus. The scandal is that state agencies will receive three-quarters share …
Several California organizations will share more than $900,000 under Fed-OSHA’s Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. In all, Fed-OSHA has awarded $10.5 million to organizations across the country. The ultimate fate of the Harwood program is still up in the air. The U.S. Department of Labor earlier this year proposed eliminating the grants in favor of …
Former Goodwill Industries employee Dave Goudie witnessed a fellow worker’s death almost one year ago. He was subsequently fired for allegedly having a role in the accident, and now has filed suit against his former employer. The lawsuit alleges that the company suspended and fired him not for any safety violations in the incident, but …