YORBA LINDA – In safety terms, the managers and employees of A.J. Oster in this Orange County town are some of the sharpest tools in the shed. They have to be.  Each day they are surrounded by rolls of super-thin metal and industrial knives that could prove disastrous if not handled properly. Just thinking about all …
The Standards Board unanimously approved revisions to guarding requirements for several types of woodworking saws. The change is intended to make sure that underhung and inverted swing cutoff saws and jump saws adequately protect employees. Board staff says it reviewed General Industry Safety Orders §4306 in the light of several injuries involving these types of …
The Standards Board could adopt a revision to the Construction Safety Orders that would require rest platforms on supported scaffolds as soon as March. It follows a public hearing on the matter. The proposal is intended to prevent fatigue and slips, trips and falls, when employees are using hook-on ladders on scaffolds. The public hearing …
The Cal/OSH Standards Board has denied a variance to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department that would have allowed deputies to wear air-purifying respirators (APR) with a beard. The department sought the variance for a single deputy who has a beard, but who performs riot control using pepper spray and other chemicals. He also helps evacuate …
Four California employees suffered workplace fatalities in mid-February. Two of the incidents involved falls. In Victorville, an employee of Dynamic Collision Center was killed from a fall, but no other details are available yet on this incident. In Arleta, a self-employed tree trimmer suffered a 25-foot fall from a tree at a residence and was …
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued citations for 17% more violations in the first six months of 2016 than the year before, and 20% more than the comparable period in 2014. And serious violations were up 25% and 40%, respectively, over 2015 and 2014. But the facts are that few California businesses ever …
The Construction Employers Association held part two of its annual safety awards with a recent luncheon in Pleasant Hill. In January, the association recognized 17 member companies with its President’s Safety Awards. The second part recognized 29 member companies with Excellence in Safety Awards. The criteria for this award include: Injury and illness and lost …
In a horrific week by California standards, 10 employees suffered workplace fatalities. Several have a familiar ring: falls, tree trimming, drownings, and struck-bys. The most high-profile fatality in recent days was the death of Robert Gill, 54, who was struck by a dump truck as he was working cleanup and repair on state Highway 17 …