California has been a relative oasis of safety in the past decade and longer when it comes to oil refineries, thanks in large part to its Process Safety Management Unit, which has a regular presence in refineries and a good working relationship with employers. But that effort has been called into question and could be …
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is investigating an Aug. 31 incident at a minor league baseball game in Southern California that led to a fatality and two injuries. DOSH is saying the deceased worker was a “possible” employee of Fireworks & Stage FX America, Inc. The man, identified as William Calabrese, 20, was …
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) has cited a Central Valley dairy for four alleged serious violations in the February death of a ranch hand who was pinned between a rotating power panel and guardrail, then swept a dozen feet to his death. DOSH proposes almost $47,000 in penalties in the case. The …
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) conducted 6% fewer onsite inspections in 2011, including 36% fewer programmed inspections, and cited employers for 15% fewer violations than the previous year, according to statistics released by the Division. The onsite inspections were the fewest since 2004 and alleged violations the fewest since at least 2003. …
The Title 8 requirement for guardrails at elevated work locations isn’t always appropriate for workers erecting portable amusement rides but current exceptions aren’t really applicable, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) says. As a result, it has asked the Cal/OSH Standards Board to promulgate regulatory changes that would relieve ride operators from the …
The lack of a reliable personal alarm system was a major factor in the 2010 murder of a psychiatric technician at Napa State Hospital (NSH). But, say investigators from California’s Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program, other reforms should have been instituted at the sprawling facility, including increased use of security personnel, and a …
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) has reached settlements in fatality cases from 2009 and 2010. In both cases, the proposed penalties were substantially reduced after the Division reconsidered the evidence. In Pinnacle Pest Control, DOSH cited the employer for three serious violations and one general after a technician was killed at a …
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has again extended its temporary enforcement measures for fall protection in residential construction. The temporary measures, which were announced in September 2011, are being enforced through Dec. 15. They include making compliance assistance a priority in residential construction, allowing additional good-faith penalty reductions of 10% if employers are out …