Cal/OSHA has cited Hesperia’s SW Forage, Inc., in the February workplace fatality of an employee who was crushed while was attempting to clean a forage compactor. The agency says the employer failed to stop and de-energize the power source on the machine, or block out moveable parts on the compactor before allowing the worker to …
A coalition of construction employers pleaded with the Cal/OSH Standards Board to delay the adoption of new rules protecting workers from silica, at least for their industry. At the least, they beseeched, postpone the implementation date even more than Fed-OSHA has already done. The board turned them down. There is plenty of time to work …
After a San Bernardino County zip line operator allegedly refused to shut down unsafe lines – even following serious injuries to two riders – Cal/OSHA has cited it for four alleged willful violations. The citations against Wrightwood Canopy Tour, LLC, doing business as Big Pines Ziplines, appear to be the first issued against a zip …
California non-profit organizations will get more than $1.6 million in Fed-OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grants in the coming fiscal year. California accounts for about 15% of the national total of $10.5 million. The 10 California organizations are among 77 receiving Harwood grants to provide employees and employers training on recognizing hazards, and avoiding/preventing them. The …
The latest California workplace fatalities include two deadly falls, two crushing incidents, and three possible natural causes deaths. Cal/OSHA is investigating them all. And each has a lesson from which we can learn. The falls included: A fatality to an employee of Tewinkle Middle School in Costa Mesa. The maintenance worker was on a six-foot …
Replacement of the almost-70-year-old George E.Tyron Bridge on South Fork Smith River Road in Del Norte County is an $11 million project begun in June 2015 and scheduled for completion in May 2017. The project is designed to replace the 141-foot concrete arch with a modern 231-foot concrete structure. The new bridge is being constructed …
Cal/OSHA inspections have reached the highest level in five years and violations cited are the highest since 2008, according to data released by the agency. Serious violations also reached the highest percentage since 2008. Cal/OSHA conducted more than 7,700 onsite inspections last year. About a third of them were in response to workplace accidents, followed …
Being at the receiving end of a Cal/OSHA citation is never a pleasant experience for California employers. Having to go through the appeals process is often necessary, but often tedious. A new online system developed by the Cal/OSH Appeals Board becomes operational October 3rd can’t help with the former, but is designed to make the …