The Division of Occupational Safety and Health has embarked on an aggressive training program to bring inspectors up to speed on various issues. For some 30 compliance safety and health officers (COSHO’s), this week’s topic is “Legal Aspects and Citation Writing.” We’d like to find out and tell you what the Division tells its inspectors …
Here’s a roundup of the workplace fatality investigations started by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in recent days. They include two deaths by falls, and another incident that electrocuted one worker and seriously injured another. On June 2, an employee of Lee’s Plumbing Co., based in Garden Grove, was killed from a ladder …
California’s Department of Industrial Relations and Department of Public Health have been granted at least one year to comb through workers’ comp claims to glean information about injuries and illness to clarify “key indicators” on preventing incidents. The project, which began June 1st, could last a total of three years. The Massachusetts Department of Public …
“World-class safety” is a bright and lofty goal, but what does it mean? It sounds great, but what does it take to get there? The goal, according to experts, clearly is eliminating unsafe behaviors. A real safety culture should be more than using personal protective equipment and checking off boxes on a safety checklist. It …
SACRAMENTO – A potential regulation to require that construction employers account for the whereabouts of their employees out in the field when working alone or in isolation and which requires they have communication and a means of emergency assistance, hasn’t met the necessity test, said stakeholders at a June 2 meeting. While a handful of …
Cal/OSHA is investigating a recent workplace fatality at a Palmdale Water District facility in the desert city after a worker apparently misjudged a hazardous process. The 32-year-old apprentice laborer, employed by Garrett Painting and Sandblasting, was preparing to fill a 160-cubic-foot sandblasting unit with abrasives. As he loosened the buckles that fasten the top hatch …
OAKLAND – The Division of Occupational Safety and Health intends to move forward with its major revisions of California’s lead standards. It is targeting the end of 2015 to have a set of recommended changes prepared for the Standards Board, leading to a formal rulemaking proposal. The Division gathered comments from general industry in April …
A 2014 fatality that did not result in citations from Cal/OSHA, because of contributory conduct from the employee, nonetheless has important lessons for employers. The incident is the subject of a recent report from the California Department of Public Health’s Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program, which made recommendations to prevent future incidents like this. …