Sometimes it is simply impossible to watch a legislator – in this case, likely a well-intentioned but naïve one – introduce a bill that would delay solving the problem at hand, if not set back the affected Department’s significant progress. The legislator, Assemblyman Pilar Schiavo (D-Santa Clarita), has introduced AB 2488. It is a bill …
Here are the highlights from the latest batch of settlements between Cal/OSHA and employers in fatality cases. The settlements were recently approved by the Appeals Board. We often see fatalities when employees fail to follow basic safety rules. Vector Resources/Vector USA: This Torrance-based power and communication contractor will pay $18,000 (63%) of a proposed $28,400 …
As expected, the California Industrial Hygiene Council (CIHC) has petitioned the Cal/OSHA Standards Board to add clarifying language to the airborne contaminants standard regarding personnel competency to perform air monitoring. The organization says it is not seeking a requirement for certified industrial hygienists to perform such monitoring, rather to make clear what competency looks like, …
Cal/OSHA seeks more than $200,000 in penalties against a San Jose sheet metal manufacturer following the second amputation incident at the company in about a year, despite previous citations. The Division cited All FAB Precision Sheetmetal for two serious violations – including a willful repeat – and willful violation of the fatality and serious injury …
Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited several more employers after investigating 2025 workplace fatalities. The incidents themselves were first reported in the pages of Cal-OSHA Reporter. Herc Rentals, Fontana: This employer faces three alleged serious violations and $63,000 in proposed penalties in the wake of a June 2025 fatality. An equipment operator …
The Construction Employers’ Association has celebrated its 23rd annual Excellence in Safety Awards by honoring 60 member companies for their safety performance, almost half its membership of 130. The awards are the second part of the association’s annual awards, following its President’s Awards in January. Excellence in Safety Awards are given to companies that meet …
There have been five new workplace fatalities in California in recent days. In Los Angeles, two employees of 99 Ranch Market lost their lives when a wayward motorist slammed into the market. A customer also lost their life, and at least six other people were injured, two critically. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, …
The delayed data from the 2024 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries has finally been released. It shows 419 workplace deaths in California, a 5% drop from 439 in 2023. But when you remove the 30 fatalities attributable to “intentional self-harm,” versus the same adjusted figure from 2023, something curious is revealed. The 2024 purely work-related …