by Rick Waldinger If the United States were a classroom, California’s legal system would be one of the kids in danger of being held back. That’s the conclusion of Washington, D.C.-based legal reform advocacy organization HALT, which handed the Golden State, home of the largest state bar in the U.S., an overall grade of “D+” …
There were few comments on two proposed safety order revisions before Cal/OSH Standards Board March 16 for public hearing. The hearing ended a 45-day comment period on proposals to update the Construction Safety Orders (CSO) on traffic control references, and to remove two substances used to sanitize personal safety devices. The traffic control proposal would …
Among recent workplace fatalities, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is investigating the tragic death of a 19-year-old worker injured after a slip. The incident occurred March 9 at a Jamba Juice outlet in San Ramon. The worker slipped and hit his head on a toilet tissue rack and was taken to a …
From time to time, Cal-OSHA Reporter receives information “over the transom,” an old-time expression for info sent anonymously. Recently, we received such a letter from an apparent state employee concerned about the backlog of cases before Cal/OSH Appeals Board. We’ve heard about this issue before from public servants, who believe that the length of time …
Bilingual Solutions, International, is hosting a “first-time event” in Northern California April 11, the “2006 Safety for Latinos in the Workplace Conference,” at Foxtail Golf Club in the Sonoma County town of Rohnert Park. Latinos account for 14 percent of the nation’s workplace fatality rate, says Bilingual Solutions President Hector Escarcega. The conference focuses on …
Do you use practical manual material handling and ergonomics solutions in your workplace? If so, Cal/OSHA Consultation Service would like to include photos of them in an upcoming publication being developed in cooperation with National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Material Handling Industry of America. The publication is intended to help prevent manual …
California Association of Professional Scientists, the union representing inspectors in the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), has long maintained that the worker safety agency is woefully understaffed – even more than Cal/OSHA is willing to admit, the union says. But the recent critical report by the Bureau of State Audits (BSA) on …
While the Cal/OSH Appeals Board works its way through the thousands of appeals to Cal/OSHA citations that have been filed over the past few years, some cases that have been decided at the administrative law level but appealed to the state court system are working their way through that process. Following is a synopsis of …