Three California workers were lost in recent days in south-state workplace fatality incidents, including two in a tree-trimming electrocution and the third in a crushing, Cal/OSHA is investigating both incidents. The electrocutions were in Thermal, Riverside County, where two workers for Valencia Tree and Palm Trimming were killed when the came in contact with an …
SAN RAMON – Four leaders in California safety gave an audience at a recent safety conference their views of moving beyond the bottom line about safety. Their conclusions? Measure results, provide workers autonomy, work to smooth relationships between management and labor, and encourage everyone to get help when you need it. The panelists at a …
SAN DIEGO – Today’s workplaces are more complicated than ever, with several generations working together, and not always understanding one other. Unwinding the codes and motivators of each can prevent “culture” clashes, says Kathy Espinoza, CSP, of Keenan & Associates, an insurance brokerage based in Torrance. Those generations include the “silent” generation, also dubbed the …
Cal/OSHA inspectors acting as part of the multi-agency Labor Enforcement Task Force have issued Orders Prohibiting Use against three San Diego County cabinet makers for exposing their workers to unguarded saws. LETF inspectors from the Labor Commissioner’s office also issued stop-work orders to two of the businesses because they did not have workers’ comp insurance. …
A Santa Barbara motel owner who is expanding his inn has run afoul of Cal/OSHA. An inspector issued a stop-work order on scaffolding erected at the project last October. But workers continued to use the scaffold, which Cal/OSHA had deemed unsafe. The result of ignoring the red tag? The Santa Barbara County District Attorney filed …
California’s Voluntary Protection Program has restarted a long-dormant program for companies who are striving to attain Star status. Known as Reach, the program was put on hiatus in the late 1990s due to budget issues and only late last year was reinstituted as resources became available. Reach provides limited exemption from random inspections for companies …
Two Southern California employees suffered workplace fatalities in the first days of March, including one who died in a fire at a warehouse and another who was killed while engaged in a telecommunications project. That incident was in Jurupa Valley involving an employee of HCI, Inc., The worker was loading a 40-foot wooden telecommunications pole …
Following the huge citations issued to ExxonMobil’s Torrance refinery last year revolving around a massive explosion that came close to killing several workers, Cal/OSHA has issued more citations to the refinery, including another willful-serious violation. Cal/OSHA alleges that the refinery failed to repair a leak discovered in 2011. Instead it left a temporary clamp on …