Christine Baker, who was named acting director of the Department of Industrial Relations this spring, has been appointed to the position permanently by Gov. Jerry Brown. Baker, 62, has worked for DIR in various positions since 1984, most recently as executive officer of the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation. As DIR director, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …