Blog Archives

New Roofing Fall Protection Height for Housing Projects Triggers Objections

GLENDALE – As the Cal/OSH Standards Board prepared to hold a public hearing on proposed changes to the Construction Safety Orders (CSO) lowering the trigger height for roofing operations on new, production-type residential construction projects, opposition to the proposal surfaced from two roofing companies. The roofers did not appear at the May 19 public hearing … Read More »

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Board Grants 22 Variances

The Cal/OSH Standards Board approved almost two dozen variances at its May 19 meeting. Most of them – 18 – were nearly identical, related to access to the governor and suspension ropes on elevators. The bulk of the variances were to Elevator Safety Orders §§ 3120, 3121.11 and 3121.12 and were granted to G. H. … Read More »

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Board Losing Longtime Counsel

The Cal/OSH Standards Board’s loss will be the Cal/OSH Appeals Board’s gain. The rulemaking board announced Counsel Heidi Smith is leaving the board to become a staff counsel for the Appeals Board, its sister agency. Smith (formerly known as Heidi Gotlieb) joined the board in January 1999. “We’ve certainly been through the trenches together,” said … Read More »

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Governor Names PG&E Safety Manager as Standards Board Health Representative; Harrison Tenure Over

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office announced that it has named Jonathan Frisch, senior program manager for safety, health and claims for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., as the occupational health representative of the Cal/OSH Standards Board. The board is Cal/OSHA’s main rulemaking entity. He replaces Dr. Robert Harrison, whose term expires June 1. Frisch, 42, has served … Read More »

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Two Dead in Crushing Incidents

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is investigating the deaths of two workers in the last week while operating work vehicles or conveyances. On May 15 a 54-year-old worker at Los Angeles International Airport was killed when he became trapped between a luggage bin and a cargo transporter. According to Department of Industrial … Read More »

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Asbestos Scare Temporarily Closes FSU Building

Officials last week temporarily closed a portion of the University Center building at Fresno State as a precautionary measure after a small amount of asbestos was inadvertently disturbed during remodeling a space that used to be occupied by a Carl’s Jr. restaurant. A call to Cal/OSHA determined that the material contained asbestos below the levels … Read More »

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Federal Warning on Gantry Cranes

Following a fatal accident at an Ohio bridge worksite, Fed-OSHA has issued a safety and health informational bulletin warning users of overhead launching gantry cranes about the hazards of deviating from manufacturers’ guidelines. An overhead launching gantry collapsed on the Maumee River Crossing project in Toledo. Launching gantries place concrete and pier segments for bridges … Read More »

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Communicating Safety When Language is a Barrier

ONTARIO – The immigration debate has been front-page news across the country for the past several weeks, with huge demonstrations against controversial legislation, and a renewed debate about how to deal with the huge influx of illegal immigrants into the United States. The workplace is center stage in this debate. Job-seekers risk their lives for … Read More »

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