Blog Archives

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 »

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On Further Review…

In our Nov. 23 story, “Standards Board Member to Diesel ‘Mousetrap’ Maker: Show Me the Mouse” (p. 10179), we stated about the controversy over Cal/OSHA’s runaway diesel protection proposal: “Fed-OSHA also got into the act. On Oct. 6, Region 9 Area Director David Shiraishi wrote to the board that the agency considered the proposal at … Read More »

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Good News: Employer Workers’ Comp Assessments to Drop by 28%

To the relief of employers, workers’ comp assessment rates that pay for programs within the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) will drop by 28% for 2012, according to DIR. The assessments are funded through workers’ comp policies and self-insured employers. Total assessments for 2011-2012 are $291.6 million – or $113.3 million less than the $404.9 … Read More »

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Inland Empire’s Giant Warehouse Industry Getting a Safety Spotlight

Cal/OSHA is targeting the Inland Empire warehouse industry with a number of open investigations into safety conditions. The push is coming after California’s labor commissioner recently came down hard on a Riverside County warehousing operation for alleged wage and hour violations, issuing citations worth more than $600,000 in penalties. This followed a set of citations … Read More »

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Let’s Not Wait for the Next Explosion

Regarding Cal-OSHA Reporter’s Nov. 23 story “Standards Board Member to Diesel ‘Mousetrap’Maker: Show Me the Mouse,” petitioner Jogen Bhalla responds: “There have been more than 30 explosions, including six in California from runaway diesel reactions. For some reason, these explosions are not recorded, so the industry can say there is no problem. After all the … Read More »

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DOSH Cites Employers in Deadly Electrical Encounters and Other Incidents

Never assume. It’s axiomatic in many facets of life, and the failure of two workers to remember it in the safety sense resulted in the death of one of the workers on March 24 in Rancho Dominguez. And, after an investigation, it resulted in citations for alleged serious violations from California’s Division of Occupational Safety … Read More »

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Elevator Certification Clarification

Changes to the California Labor Code on conveyance certification mandated by legislation are now being further clarified,, as evidenced by a letter recently circulated by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Elevator Unit. Under changes to Labor Code §§ 7311.1 and .2 made in the early 2000s, DOSH must certify companies that erect, … Read More »

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Hyatt Hit with RMI Allegations

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) has cited Hyatt Hotel at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf for failing to protect housekeepers from repetitive motion injuries, including two alleged serious violations of the state ergonomics standard. Cal/OSHA has proposed more than $20,000 in penalties in the case. Under the ergonomics standard, General Industry Safety Orders … Read More »

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