Blog Archives

Committee Sees Need For Regulatory Change On Scaffold Self-Propelling

SACRAMENTO – Cal/OSHA appears to be rolling into new regulatory territory after an advisory committee, with some dissent, endorsed the concept of allowing workers to self-propel while on mobile scaffolds. The regulatory change was first proposed in the 1990s, but manufacturer opposition squelched any discussion. One option proposed April 24 was for Cal/OSHA to adopt … Read More »

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Cleanup On Drinking-Water Proposal

A Cal/OSHA regulatory proposal to give construction employers more options for providing workers with drinking water has been modified in a section about sanitizing reusable containers. Comments on the 15-day notice of proposed modifications are due to the Cal/OSH Standards Board by May 13. The proposal revises Construction Safety Orders §1524 to allow employers to … Read More »

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Multiemployer Angle In Bear Attack?

The animal trainer who was fatally mauled by a 700-pound grizzly bear at an animal training facility near Big Bear Lake April 22 was employed by an Internet-based Los Angeles company, not the facility at which he was working, raising the question of whether Cal/OSHA should investigate the incident as a multiemployer worksite case. Stephan … Read More »

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Labor And Employers Hope To Negotiate On Contentious Appeal Legislation

Employers and labor are talking about possible changes to a controversial bill that would charge employers for challenging Cal/OSHA citations. SB 1988, authored by Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland), would require employers with 10 or more employees to pay a $250 filing fee to appeal a safety citation before the OSHA Appeals Board. Even though the fee … Read More »

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CFOI Revision Shows That California Had Most Fatalities In 2006

Recently announced revisions in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) give California the dubious distinction of having been the state with the highest number of fatalities in 2006. With the revision, the Golden State surpassed Texas, with 537 workplace fatalities that year, versus 489 in Texas. The adjustment adds … Read More »

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AG Ergo Seminar At UC Davis

UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety presents the latest in its seminar series May 5: “Agricultural Ergonomics Research at UC Davis: Past, Present and Future.” Presenter is Fadi Fathallah, PhD, AEP. The seminar is at 4 p.m. at 3201 Hart Hall. For more information, call 530-752-4050.

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Speaking Of Backup Alarms…

Cal/OSH Standards Board has authorized an advisory committee to determine whether current Cal/OSHA regulations on backup alarms work “directly against safety,” as a petitioner puts it. The board also received a new petition, seeking to update the construction safety orders on safety apparel for flaggers. The board authorized the committee in response to the petition … Read More »

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Variance Expansion To Out-Of-Compliance Employer Irks Cal/OSHA

Title 8 variance requests most often are routine, non-controversial affairs, but the request granted April 17 by the Cal/OSH Standards Board had Division of Occupational Safety and Health Chief Len Welsh biting his tongue. The board granted an expansion to a 2003 variance to Teichert Aggregates allowing it to use non-audible backup alarms at 12 … Read More »

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