RICHMOND – In presenting the Voluntary Protection Program Star certificate to the Phillips 66 Terminal in this East Bay city, Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum said that the safety statistics for the facility are “pretty amazing.” How’s this for a stat? The terminal, which receives and distributes both crude oil and gas and finished product, has …
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health has revised its proposal to reform the way it issues citations for repeat violations. But what do employers think about the latest move? The regulated public has until May 24 to comment on the Notice of Proposed Modification. See below for details. The rulemaking effort began last summer, …
A 25-year-old Lake Arrowhead man was killed on May 4 in Bear Springs Valley while working as part of a crew in a logging operation. Cal/OSHA is investigating the incident, but is releasing little information about the incident. “The employee was killed by a falling tree,” says Department of Industrial Relations Communications Director Erika Monterroza. …
Cal/OSHA in several recent cases agreed to settle violations, with substantial reductions in penalties. In one case, a willful violation was reduced to a general, and more than $70,000 in proposed penalties was slashed to $1,500. Settlements are not new and happen all the time. So frequently, in fact, that it explains why lawyers advise employers …
As our recent story on the latest workplace fatality statistics shows, California had the second-highest number of fatalities in the country. But does that mean that our state is more dangerous than others? Not according to a deeper analysis of data collected by the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). California has by far more …
A fee dispute between Cal/OSH Appeals Board Administrative Law Judge Mary Dryovage and a former private-practice client has resulted in the suspension of her law license for at least one year. Dryovage was found culpable for misappropriation of funds. The California State Bar had sought disbarment on grounds of moral turpitude, but a review panel …
The Injury and Illness Prevention Program standards for general industry and construction accounted for 30% of the most cited Title 8 Safety Orders in 2015. IIPP violations rank in the top three of the most-cited regulations. In fact, the top five such standards remained the same as 2014, although the number of violations Cal/OSHA issued is …
A Pleasanton employee of a San Francisco electrical contractor was apparently electrocuted on April 29 at a worksite in that city, according to Cal/OSHA. The employee, who was identified as Mose Bamont, 45, was part of a job at the Charles Schwab Building in the South Beach district of San Francisco when he was killed. …