With this issue, we complete our 25th year of publication. COR’s next issue will be dated Jan. 4, 1999. At that time, Kevin Thompson will take over as editor from Anne Bell. “Those of you who have already met him know how capable and nice he is,” Anne says. Ellen Denmead, who edits and summarizes …
Almost as long as there has been a Cal-OSHA program, there has been friction between safety professionals and industrial hygienists. It is closely linked to who can command a higher salary. (Think of the relationship as similar to that between nurses and physicians.) To preserve their advantage, or in the interests of quality control, the …
Cal-OSHA’s overall budget of $39,565,000 for fiscal 98-99 may get a bit of a boost from Fed-OSHA. According to a memorandum the Feds sent to state-plan designees and consultation managers, Congress approved, and President Clinton signed, overall 1999 funding for OSHA of $353 million — $16.5 million higher than for fiscal 1998. Of that amount, …
SAN FRANCISCO — The Division of Occupational Safety and Health may be about to issue its first citations under California’s ergonomics standard, Cal-OSHA Counsel Len Welsh told the Cal-OSHA Advisory Committee, meeting here Dec. 3. “We believe a citation may be issued by the end of the year,” he later told COR. “There are two …
LEGAL REPORT DOSH Chief Counsel Mike Mason said during his brief Legal Unit report that he expects “a spate of legislation” in the coming year, some of which may affect Cal-OSHA. He also mentioned several appeals of Decisions After Reconsideration (DARs) that are currently in litigation, including ARB, Inc., Rick’s Electric, Rudolph and Sletten and …
Drafts of two significant employer guides are being circulated for comments by the Training and Education Unit of the Cal-OSHA Consultation Service. ORIENTATION THE NEW WORKER: One is “Orienting the New Employee About Workplace Safety & Health: A Handbook to Assist Small Employers.” It begins by stating that orientation is vital, that new employees are …
Rumors are flying, but as of Dec. 9, Governor-Elect Gray Davis had not decided on a new director for the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). The conventional wisdom has it that the new DIR chief will be someone closely associated with either the building trades or service employee unions. Michael Bustamante, Davis’ press secretary, told …
By majority vote, following public hearings, the Cal-OSH Standards Board adopted the following revisions to Title 8 safety orders. They have been approved by the Office of Administrative law and are now in the California Code of Regulations. END RAIL MATERIALS FOR METAL SCAFFOLDS: Amendments to Construction 1644(a)(6) were heard at the Aug. 20, 1998 …