SACRAMENTO — The California state Assembly has approved AB 567, which would codify into state law Cal/OSHA’s standard prohibiting short-handled agricultural tools. The measure was sent to the state Senate Jan. 29.
Preliminary tests on a scaffold that collapsed on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge retrofit project indicate that some of the welds on the device were defective and others were of poor quality. As a result, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), which ordered the tests, has amended its Order Prohibiting Use (OPU) in …
SACRAMENTO — Citing “determination to succeed, a willingness to work hard and a reputation for honesty” as core values guiding its safety and health program, The Safety Center has awarded E&J Gallo Winery with its Chairman’s Award of Merit. The award was presented at the “Super Stars of Safety” luncheon during the center’s recent Symposium …
Responding to a request from a state senator for comprehensive data on response times to workplace fatalities, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) says most investigations are initiated within one day. Vicky Heza, deputy chief in charge of DOSH’s Enforcement Unit, provided data for four years in a Jan. 16 letter to Sen. …
Fed-OSHA has announced that it has opened for 60 days the rulemaking record for its proposed standard to control occupational exposure to tuberculosis (TB). The move allows interested persons an opportunity to review and comment on OSHA’s final risk assessment and a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), “Tuberculosis in the Workplace.” The risk …
Assembly Bill 567, which would codify into state law a Cal/OSHA standard prohibiting the use of short-handled tools in agricultural operations, cleared another hurdle when it was approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee Jan. 24, 14 to 6. The bill would have to have passed the full Assembly by Jan. 31 to remain alive. AB …
A study conducted by a University of California at Davis professor contends that occupational lung diseases carried direct and indirect costs of an estimated $8.5 billion in 2001 and warrants intervention. The study, by J. Paul Leigh, PhD, professor of health economics at the university’s School of Medicine, was published in CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal …
California’s Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) announces that the date for its upcoming public meeting has been changed to Feb. 8. The meeting is at 10 a.m., in the auditorium of the Public Utilities Commission Building, 505 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. For further information, contact CHSWC at 415-703-4234. ASSE change: …