Blog Archives

Cal/OSHA to Fed-OSHA: Residential Construction Fall Standard Doesn’t Need to ‘Mirror’ Feds’ Six-Foot Rule

Is California’s carefully constructed, industry-supported standard for residential construction fall protection in danger of being upended by Fed-OSHA? Does a trigger height of six feet instead of the current 15 feet loom for the Golden State? Both Cal/OSHA and construction representatives are pushing hard to convince the Feds that the standard in question, Construction Safety … Read More »

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Diver Dies in Recovery Effort

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating a Sept. 8 incident in which a volunteer diver was killed while attempting to retrieve a drowning victim. The volunteer was diving for Shasta Marine Services in the Northern California town. He was assisting the county sheriff’s office in an effort to recover the body of a … Read More »

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DIR Warns of Poster Scam

California’s Department of Industrial Relations is warning employers about phony investigators who are visiting businesses and demanding payment on-site for labor-related postings. A Los Angeles company calling itself “Labor Compliance Office” is sending notices to businesses seeking a $275 “processing fee” for posters. DIR Lead Public Information Officer Erika Monterroza tells Cal-OSHA Reporter that the company … Read More »

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Chiefs Who Resigned

I noticed in the Sept. 14 Cal-OSHA Reporter that a question was posed relative to prior DOSH chiefs leaving “mid-term.” While there have been several chiefs that have resigned or retired at one point or another due to changes in administrations or to accept other jobs, I suspect that the one in the 1980s that the … Read More »

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Willful Violations in Trench Collapse

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited a Los Angeles employer for a March incident in which one worker was killed and another severely injured when a trench collapsed at a construction project. DOSH issued four citations, including one willful-serious allegation, against Los Angeles Engineering, Inc., and more than $100,000 in penalties in … Read More »

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Standards Board Revises ‘Excessive Loads’ Proposal

A Cal/OSHA regulatory proposal that drew critical comments at a public hearing last month has undergone some rewriting. The revised proposal has started a 15-day comment period that will end Sept. 30. The original version, a revision of General Industry Safety Orders §3650(l), is another example of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health and … Read More »

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Eight California Organizations Get Federal Susan Harwood Training Grants

California organizations have been granted 12% of the $10.1 million in Fed-OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grants for the coming year, covering subjects such as ergonomics, workplace violence, warehouse hazards and a number of others. The eight organizations were among 70 nationwide to receive Harwood grants, named after the former director of Fed-OSHA’s Office of Risk … Read More »

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DOSH Chief Widess Resigns Suddenly

In a stunning development, Ellen Widess, chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health since early 2011, resigned her position Sept. 4, and effective immediately. The Department of Industrial Relations named Juliann Sum, a special advisor to DIR Director Christine Baker, as interim chief. Baker also announced that Widess is staying with DIR as … Read More »

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