Eight California organizations are among the 100 nationwide awarded Fed-OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grants for 2023. The California grants amount to a total of $886,331, 7% of the national total of approximately $12.7 million. The grants named after the late Dr. Harwood, the former director of Fed-OSHA’s Office of Risk Assessment, who was instrumental in …
Three safety-related bills have been passed by the California Legislature and are awaiting action by Governor Gavin Newsom. They include SB 553 on workplace violence, SB 686 on household domestic service and AB 521 women’s toilet facilities on construction sites. SB 553 (Senator Dave Cortese, D-Campbell) would require California employers to develop and implement workplace …
Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited several employers in workplace fatality cases from late 2022 through early 2023. Here’s a roundup of those cases. Brymax Construction Services: Based in Huntington Beach, this sheet metal contractor faces $90,000 in Cal/OSHA penalties following an October 31st, 2022, incident that killed an employee. The employee …
There are three new workplace fatalities, two as a result of struck-by incidents. In Palmdale, a senior flight test engineer for Sumaria Systems, a defense contractor, walked into the propeller of an unmanned aerial vehicle while the aircraft was running. The drone was an MQ-9, also known as a “Reaper.” Sentinel Insurance Company, Ltd., part …
As August ended, 20 wildland firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Cal Fire, and the U.S. Forest Service donned their gear at the Del Valle Training Center in Castaic. They spent a hot day simulating “cutting lines” up and down a slope. Cal-OSHA Reporter was there to cover the training. In addition to …
Cal/OSHA has released its High Hazard Industry Target List for the coming federal fiscal year, which starts October 1st. targets private industry sectors with days away, restricted duty and transfer (DART) rates of at least 4.4. The rate equals 200% of the 2021 overall DART rate of 2.2 for private industry, the same as 2020-21. …
There are three new workplace fatalities. In San Bernardino, an employee of GXO Logistics was crushed between a racking system and a forklift. GXO has a current EMR of 065. ACE America insures it. In Davis, an employee of Growers Air Service was killed in what Cal/OSHA describes as a “crop dusting accident” while flying …
The two major bills related to occupational safety and health for this legislative season have passed crucial tests in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and are before the full chamber. If they pass the Assembly, as expected, they will go back to the Senate for reconciliation and final approval, then on to the governor’s desk. Perhaps …