Even a well-developed lockout/tagout program is ineffective if all involved employees are not trained in its importance and the consequences of not following the program. Those lessons come home to roost with two cases that we outline in this issue. In Setton Pistachio (see p. 10970), a recently rehired worker died a gruesome death because …
The Cal/OSH Appeals Board (COSHAB) has disallowed an affirmative defense for staffing agencies whose employees are injured at secondary employers’ workplaces. This overturns a 1985 Decision After Reconsideration. The decision is important in that it sets a legal precedent and changes the liability of staffing and other primary employers who second out employees to others. …
LETF Sweeps Hit Construction California’s Labor Employment Task Force (LETF) recently completed multi-agency sweeps of construction sites throughout the state, resulting in dozens of citations for alleged labor and safety violations in underground operations. Ten investigators from the Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the Labor Commissioner’s office fanned out in Los Angeles, Silicon …
California’s Office of Administrative Law has given final approval of changes to the state’s lockout/tagout standard on group lockout. The changes become effective Oct. 1. The Cal/OSH Standards Board adopted the revisions, which add provisions to General Industry Safety Orders §3314, on July 17. They were heard at the May 15 public hearing. The rulemaking …
A patient admitted to a Sacramento-area hospital with what was at first suspected to be the Ebola virus turned out to be negative. Even before tests confirmed that, an infectious disease expert said possibilities are low that the viral disease, which is ravaging West Africa, could do the same here. “We should be aware of …
A veteran foreman for a Ventura County roofing company was killed while preparing to install insulation at a warehouse project last December. The company’s alleged failure to make sure he was provided with fall protection has landed BHL Enterprises, doing business as West Coast Roofing, a number of Cal/OSHA citations and more than $22,000 in …
The Cal/OSH Appeals Board is planning a stakeholder meeting for Sept. 18 to discuss its pilot project for mandatory in-person pre-hearing conferences. The meeting is at 10 a.m. at board headquarters, 2520 Venture Oaks Way, Suite 300, in Sacramento. The meeting also will be available by conference call at the board’s West Covina office, 100 …
SACRAMENTO – The Cal/OSH Standards Board adopted revisions to the Construction Safety Orders to clarify emergency procedures for helicopter landings, but narrowed the final product for further clarity. The revision now heads to California’s Office of Administrative Law to make sure it conforms to the Administrative Procedures Act, after which it will become final. CSO …