Blog Archives

New VPP, Reach, SHARP & Golden Gate Employers

The Cal/OSHA Consultation Service has recognized 18 employers for their safety efforts, including requalification for the Voluntary Protection Program, certification into VPP-Construction, the Reach program for employers working toward VPP, the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), and the Golden Gate Partnership Program. VPP Recertifications Cintas Corp. for its facility in Gilroy. The uniform … Read More »

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Citations in Esparto Blast

Amid criminal investigations into the massive and deadly July 1st explosion at an Esparto fireworks storage facility, Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited the employer for one regulatory and 13 serious violations. The Division seeks $221,000 in penalties against Devastating Pyrotechnics, which is based in San Francisco. On July 1st, fireworks stored … Read More »

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OSHA Defense Veteran Calling it a Career

In the late 1970s, Fred Walter, fresh out of law school, was working in personal injury defense in Southern California’s maritime industry. He moved to Northern California, where he found himself doing workers’ compensation subrogation work. “It was a step up from collections,” he remembers. “I hated it.” Hated it so much that he was … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update- Dec 19, 2025

There are eight new California workplace fatalities, including three struck-by incidents. At the Yolo County Central Landfill near Davis, a dump truck driver was killed in his cab while two trucks operated by Northern Recycling were unloading. One of the trucks experienced what the county describes as an “industrial accident” that caused its trailer portion … Read More »

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OSH Fund Assessments for 2025-26

California’s employers will see a more than 200% increase in workers’ comp premium assessments for the Occupational Safety and Health Fund. Other funds subject to assessments also show increasing costs during the new fiscal year. The OSH Fund was established by law in 2008 to stabilize Cal/OSHA’s funding and provides the lion’s share of state … Read More »

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Settlements in Cases Big and Small

The Cal/OSHA Appeals Board in November approved settlements totaling hundreds of citations, including several big cases and one small but notable case. The latter is in reference to homeowner Patricia Thomas, whom the Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited in August 2024 after an unlicensed roofing contractor was killed at the Los Angeles home … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update – Dec 12, 2025

There are eight new California workplace fatalities, three of them from falls. Notably, four of the employers are too small to generate an EMR. In Sun Valley, a roofer for Martillos General Builders climbed onto a roof to collect tools and equipment, and coworkers later found him lying on the ground. He was hospitalized with … Read More »

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