This week, of course, marked the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, the defining moment of the new century. It was a world event, but also a workplace event. The majority of the victims were at work, in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and, except for the passengers, in the …
A more than two-year quest by a Berkeley firefighter for an exemption to Cal/OSHA regulations regarding use of a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) received a boost when the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) granted him and his department an experimental variance. Harry Vernon, a 24-year veteran of the department, has been prevented from …
Joyce Simonowitz, 67, an occupational health nurse (OHN) and a leading light in the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) for nearly a quarter of a century, died Aug. 27 in Los Angeles. “She taught several generations of doctors, nurses, industrial hygienists and safety engineers the value of protecting the safety and health of …
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SACRAMENTO — The Aug. 15 meeting of the Cal/OSH Standards Board featured a public hearing on the long-awaited consolidation of California’s explosives regulations, but the real fireworks at the meeting centered on a new petition aimed at reforming the state’s ergonomics regulation. In its latest attempt to get the board to reopen the contentious issue, …
SACRAMENTO — Major elements of the California Labor Federation’s proposal to revise the state’s ergonomics standard: *Employers required to review records for a three-year period to determine if employees have reported symptoms of or have been diagnosed with cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) or whether a CTD risk exists at the workplace. *Employers required to implement …
SACRAMENTO — The end of this year’s legislative session saw state lawmakers send a number of occupational safety and health-related bills to Gov. Gray Davis. Here’s a synopsis of the final week’s action: AB 2752: The big bill, intended to give greater protection to safety and health whistleblowers received final amendments Aug. 29, was passed …
SACRAMENTO — The Cal/OSH Standards Board will hold a public hearing on two new proposed safety order revisions Oct. 17 in Sacramento. The proposals include changes to regulations governing variances and protections to workers in general industry from falling objects. VARIANCES: The first proposal would revise Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board Administrative Regulations 403-405, …