The Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to essentially put off a petition requiring “opioid antagonists”—read Narcon—in first-aid kits that every California employer must have. It sent the idea to an advisory committee. Members and stakeholders have serious qualms about the idea, and there seems to be little likelihood that the Board will make any regulatory change …
There are six new workplace fatalities, including two falls and two crushing deaths. In Pasadena, a superintendent for SoCal Scaffold was inspecting an indoor scaffold at a school project and fell about 30 feet. He was transported to a hospital and died the same day. The employer is a licensed contractor with an EMR of …
Summer is officially here, and so the fire season has arrived – in force. As Cal-OSHA Reporter goes to press, Cal Fire reports more than 2,100 wildfires throughout California, burning at least 66,000 acres and damaging or destroying at least 22 structures. These totals are sure to increase. The fires are releasing plumes of smoke and …
The California Labor Commissioner is proposing more than $5 million in penalties against Amazon for alleged violations of AB 701, a 2021 law intended to curb warehouse quota abuse. The state alleges that Amazon warehouses in Moreno Valley and Redlands used a “peer-to-peer” quota system, which it says is exactly the kind of quota scheme …
Helen Cleary, a former aviation professional, has found her true passion in safety consultancy. Her role as a safety consultant is not just a job, but a mission she is deeply passionate about. “I’m one of those unique individuals who find joy in policy,” she shares with Cal-OSHA Reporter. “Consulting allows me to have a …
Here are some of the latest citation packages issued by Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health related to workplace fatalities. Employers are presumed innocent during the appeals process. Peter Hall Construction: This Camarillo contractor faces three serious violations and more than $38,000 in proposed penalties after an August 2023 death. It happened at a …
There are two new California workplace fatalities. In Littlerock, a desert community near Palmdale, one firefighter was killed and another injured when a vehicle on fire exploded. Killed was Andrew Pontious, a 19-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Shortly after the crew arrived at the quarry where a front-end loader was burning, …
Following a defiant March vote on the indoor heat illness standard despite a direction from the Governor’s office to table the matter over last-minute cost concerns, Cal/OSHA Standards Board Chairman Dave Thomas told Cal-OSHA Reporter, “I don’t know if we’re going to be here next month.” It’s taken three months, but the other shoe has …