The Division of Occupational Safety and Health announces the promotion of two longtime safety leaders to permanent positions. Eric Berg has been appointed principal safety engineer for the Research and Standards Safety Unit, which he has held in an acting position since the death of former Principal Engineer Patrick Bell. Clyde Trombettas , longtime manager …
Cal/OSHA is embarking on a program to curb a rash of incidents in roofing operations, most notably falls. It will be conducting targeted inspections throughout the state through early fall. Roofing operations are “inherently risky,” says Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker in announcing the “Roofing Maximum Enforcement Program,” which began March 1. Employers …
The contentious issue of the use of tractor-mounted personnel transport carriers (PTCs) to ferry farmhands to far-flung fields is traveling toward resolution. The Cal/OSH Standards Board has published its formal rulemaking proposal. The proposal will be the subject of a public hearing by the board on April 16 in Walnut Creek. Under the proposal, the …
Cal/OSHA is investigating five workplace fatalities in the last two weeks of February, including two vehicle encounters, a fall, a worker who was crushed to death and “cone zone” fatality. February 17: An employee of Western Stockman’s Market in Wasco was found under the wheel of a tractor in an irrigation canal in about a …
This week’s Decisions section marks the end of, what might be called, an era – the Harris Construction case finally comes to an end. It was the first test case under the multiemployer worksite doctrine enacted under 2000’s AB 1127. And it was decided in favor of the general contractor. Harris was cited as the …
Today is the deadline for stakeholders to weigh in on their biggest concerns about implementing the new changes to the state’s heat illness prevention regulation. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health intends to update its current guidance document on the standard to reflect the recently adopted changes. Information on how to respond via email …
Safety managers and attorneys representing employers in Cal/OSHA cases are wondering if the agency is preparing its personnel on applying a new law, AB 1634, which revises how abatement credits are applied in serious violation cases. Are compliance officers being left to their own devices when applying the law, they ask? And, more importantly, does …
Here’s what employer and labor representatives had to say about Cal/OSHA’s now-adopted revisions to the heat illness prevention regulation. The new regs, which will be detailed in an upcoming webcast from Cal-OSHA Reporter, are being seen by some stakeholders as hard to enforce and lacking community input and buy-in. Here are the comments con and comments …