Blog Archives

Will Cal/OSHA Follow Feds’ Silica Standard Enforcement Delay?

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has delayed enforcement of the 2016 crystalline silica exposure standard for three months. The original effective date was June 23, but enforcement now begins September 23, 2017. The delay affects the construction industry only. Will Cal/OSHA follow suit? The Department of Industrial Relations “is still evaluating the decision … Read More »

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Controversial Cal/OSHA Wood Dust PEL Becomes Effective This Summer

California’s Office of Administrative Law has given final approval to significantly reduced permissible exposure limits for wood dust and Western red cedar dust. The Cal/OSHA PELs are effective July 1, 2017. The Standards Board approved the revisions to the airborne contaminants table in General Industry Safety Orders §5155 in February, after a one-month delay triggered … Read More »

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WSPA Says Emergency Regulation Needed on Rest Breaks

The Western States Petroleum Association petitioned the Cal/OSH Standards Board for an emergency regulation exempting refineries and similar facilities from a recent court ruling on rest breaks. The California Supreme Court decision, Augustus v. ABM Security Services , holds that non-exempt employees must be relieved of all duties during rest breaks, including remaining on call … Read More »

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Zika Mosquitoes Found in California

The discovery in California of two non-native species of mosquitoes that can transmit the Zika virus, as well as several other serious diseases, increases the urgency to take preventive steps during the biting season. So far, the species Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) and albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) have been found in 11 counties, as … Read More »

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Which Workplaces Must Comply with Violence Prevention Rule?

San Diego safety professional Ricardo Beas sent us this question, which he passed along from his clients: “We’ve been getting many phone calls from our clients asking if the new [healthcare violence prevention] regulation applies to such establishments as dental offices, optometrists, physical therapy, surgery centers, etc. This is understandable,” he opines, “because the reg … Read More »

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Reminder: One More Month of Form 300A Posting

Employers are reminded that they are required to post their annual summaries of 2016 work-related injuries and illness through April. Current and former employers and employee representatives have the right to view the Cal/OSHA Form 300A in its entirety. April is the last month of the three-month period when the form must be posted in … Read More »

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Winery Cited in Employee’s Death, Quickly Pays Cal/OSHA Penalties

A Napa Valley winery has paid more than $44,000 in penalties in the August 2016 death of an employee crushed by a stack of wine barrels being unloaded from a container. The case concluded just a few weeks after Cal/OSHA issued the citations in February. The agency cited Trinchero Family Estates for four serious and … Read More »

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Employer Criminally Prosecuted and Sentenced in Employee Deaths

A San Francisco employer whose two employees were crushed by slabs of granite in February 2014 was sentenced last week. He received one year of home detention and three years of probation following prosecution by the city’s district attorney. Phillip Marich, 53, and Hector Vasquez, 46, were killed in February 2014 when a bundle of … Read More »

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