Blog Archives

Chemical Safety Board: Tesoro Incidents a Safety Culture Lesson

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says a series of injurious sulfuric acid sprays at a Martinez refinery demonstrates that merely identifying safety culture deficiencies is only the first step. Employers have to implement improvements, the board said. Two 2014 incidents at the Tesoro Martinez refinery followed other such incidents in previous years. California refineries have … Read More »

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Big Jury Award in Worker’s Death

A Los Angeles jury has awarded the family of a workplace fatality victim $27 million. The worker, Edgar Gonzalez, was killed in August 2011 when he fell from formwork at a wastewater treatment project in Playa Del Rey and the collapsed form, which weighed more than a ton, struck him. The jury found Atlas Construction … Read More »

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New Repeat Violation Rules Soon

Cal/OSHA is changing the rules to extend the period during which a business can be eligible for a repeat violation from three years to five years, and from within a Division of Occupational Safety and Health region only to throughout the state. That means an employer who has operations in different parts of the state … Read More »

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Three More Workers Killed

Three workers were killed in recent days throughout California, including a heavy equipment operator helping fight a major wildfire, and two tree-related incidents. The firefighting fatality was in the Big Sur area, where a blaze spread across at least 36 square miles. The deceased man was operating a bulldozer. He was one of dozens of … Read More »

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Warning on Valley Fever Threat

As the last of six cases brought against employers in a 2012 Valley Fever outbreak comes to a conclusion, California occupational health authorities are warning anew about the hazards of disturbing the soil in many parts of the state without taking safety precautions. In fact, the California Department of Public Health has deemed August Valley … Read More »

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Committee to Explore Greater Safety for Utility Pole Climbers

Although Cal/OSHA does not completely agree with the regulatory solution proposed by a former Cal/OSHA inspector to prevent devastating falls by utility pole climbers, it does agree that current requirements might not be adequate. It is Scott McAllister, recently retired after many years with the Division of Occupational Safety, who brought the issue to the … Read More »

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More 2015 Cal/OSHA Inspection Data

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health has released inspection and violations statistics for the first three quarters of 2015, and it appears that the apparent upward trend for both is holding. As we reported in February, Cal/OSHA inspections and violations cited are likely to see a five-year high when the 2015 data is complete. … Read More »

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Delays Catwalk Vote

The Cal/OSH Standards Board postponed a vote on a proposal to eliminate what’s been called an “illogical safety requirement” on employers after two members voiced last-minute concerns about the action. The proposal would add an explicit exception in General Industry Safety Orders §3273 to ensure that employers don’t have to install catwalks for workers toiling … Read More »

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