Blog Archives

Emergency Standard Needed for Silica Hazard?

Several years ago, Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health instituted a special-emphasis program on silica exposure in the countertop manufacturing industry, triggered by deaths and serious injuries in this sector. DOSH inspected more than 100 employers, issued almost 700 citations and proposed about $1.8 million in penalties. It found overexposures to silica in 47 … Read More »

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

Read More »

Tunnel Project Needs Variance

Digging a seven-mile tunnel to carry treated wastewater from a water plant in Carson to a beach in San Pedro will be accomplished with a Slurry Tunnel Boring Machine (STBM). But before that work can be done contractor Dragados USA requires a variance from a Cal/OSHA standard meant to ensure tunneling safety. It seems that … Read More »

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

Read More »

Workplace Fatality Update – Mar 3, 2023

There were six California workplace fatalities during mid-February. In Bonita, an employee of Cruz Carrillo Tree Service was trimming fronds on a palm tree from underneath and was caught beneath the fronds and killed. In Victorville, an employee of Cemex died after falling off a ladder. In Napa, an employee of Kitoko Vineyards died of … Read More »

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

Read More »

Big Injury Cases Settle Out

Four employers cited in significant injury incidents have settled their cases with Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The Appeals Board recently approved the settlements. General Dynamics NASSCO: the employer will pay $25,880 (23%) of a proposed $112,835 in an October 2019 incident in San Diego. An employee welding a unit under construction was … Read More »

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

Read More »

Fed-OSHA Wades into Immigration

The U.S. Department of Labor and Fed-OSHA have signed a memorandum of understanding allowing OSHA to issue certifications in support of U and T Nonimmigrant Status visas. What are these visas? And what does this mean for workplaces? Both these temporary visas are a product of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of … Read More »

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

Read More »

Construction Hoists Issues Being Lifted Again

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board will resume talks on issues related to construction personnel hoists, which have been the source of controversy over the years. An advisory committee meets on March 22nd, 2023, in Sacramento. It last met in August 2022. Expedited rulemaking several years ago clarified that the height at which CPHs must be built … Read More »

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

Read More »

Workplace Fatality Update – Feb 24, 2023

Five workplace fatalities occurred during the second week of February. Two were shootings, one a fatal fall, a fourth was a struck-by and the fifth a caught-between. The fall was in Tarzana, where an employee of Viking Tree Service fell from a tree and died at the scene. In Santa Ana, at an Enterprise Rent-A-Car … Read More »

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

Read More »