Blog Archives

Appeals Panel Affirms: Courts Can’t Second-Guess Cal/OSHA on Heat Illness

The California Court of Appeal has ruled that the California Constitution left it to the state Legislature to flesh out safety regulations, and that judicial intrusion into Cal/OSHA regulatory power would violate the separation-of-powers doctrine. A second part of the heat illness lawsuit brought by United Farm Workers and American Civil Liberties Union on whether … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Top Cal/OSHA Stories of 2011

2011 was another busy year for Cal/OSHA, with a major piece of legislation taking effect, a raft of personnel changes, a number of troubling workplace incidents, a controversial proposal on a key Cal/OSHA component and the 20th anniversary of a seminal safety standard. AB 2774: One of the most important pieces of occupational safety and health … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Standards Board Restores STEL for Sulfuric Acid After Commenter Objects

Cal/OSH Standards Board has modified its proposal for four permissible exposure limit (PEL) revisions, after a commenter objected to removing a short-term exposure level (STEL) for sulfuric acid. Comments on the proposed modification to the airborne contaminants standard, General Industry Safety Orders §5155,  are due to the board by Dec. 30. The original proposal, recommended by … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Cal/OSHA Cites San Francisco FD

In citing San Francisco Fire Department in the June 2 death of two firefighters at a residential fire in the city’s Diamond Heights neighborhood, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) could find no accident-related violations “because the cause and the timing of the incident cannot be determined for both firefighters.” But the division did … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Appeals Board Adopts Rule Changes — Minus Expedited Abatement Provisions

Cal/OSH Appeals Board has adopted a number of revisions to its rules that could alleviate stakeholder concerns on continuances, hearing times and dates, and help streamline the appeals system. But one big reform is missing from the rulemaking package: a provision giving regulatory weight to the board’s expedited abatement process, which was started as a … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

CIHC: Codify Cal/OSHA’s HEAC

The California Industrial Hygiene Council (CIHC) is gearing up to push for legislation requiring that the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) periodically recommend updates to the list of permissible exposure limits (PEL) to the Standards Board. It’s only in draft form, but CIHC hopes that its language will improve on a bill introduced … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

New Year’s Resolution: No Standards Board Public Hearing

The first 2012 meeting of Cal/OSH Standards Board will take place without public hearing, the board says. The meeting is scheduled for Jan. 19 at the Harris State Building in Oakland and will include public and business meetings, but no new safety order proposals have been published. The public meeting is designed to solicit comments on … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Mine Disaster Settlement Rankles Victims’ Families, Safety Advocates

Despite what the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) described as “systematic, intentional and aggressive” efforts to conceal serious hazards by the owner of the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, the federal government will not prosecute officials of Massey Energy. MSHA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced a … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »