Blog Archives

High Heat Brings Cal/OSHA Enforcement

This week’s record-breaking heat wave prompted inspectors from Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health to fan out among outdoor workplaces all over the state to ensure compliance with the high-heat provisions of the heat illness prevention standard. DOSH has conducted targeted inspections in construction, agriculture, tree trimming, landscaping, car washes, and warehousing. “Employers in … Read More »

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Privette Doctrine Blocks Wrongful Death Claim in Workplace Fatality

The California Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a wrongful-death claim against a general contractor on whose project a subcontractor employee died in 2016. The ruling was made under the state’s Privette doctrine, which shields general contractors, in this case, Tyler Development Corp., from lawsuits when subcontractor employees sue for fatalities … Read More »

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Another Way to Look at Injury & Illness Data

California has by far the most injuries and illnesses in the country – almost twice as many as Texas in 2020, according to the most recent data. But California also has the most employees, more than 17 million in 2020, a year in which employment numbers were sharply down due to the pandemic. But does … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update – Sept 9 2022

There are two new California workplace fatalities, both from falls. In Garden Grove, an employee of Beacon Sales Acquisitions fell through a skylight and was killed. In La Verne, an employee of HM SureRock was driving a forklift in reverse and went off a loading dock.

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Legislative Update – Sept 2 2022

Three bills of interest to the occupational safety and health community have made it to the governor’s desk. The legislature has approved a watered-down version of AB 1643 by Assemblyman Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, which initially would have required the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to convene an advisory committee at least quarterly to study the … Read More »

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Employers Cited in Fatalities – Sept 2 2022

Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited several employers after investigating workplace fatalities in 2021 and early 2022. Following are the incidents, the conclusions DOSH drew from its investigations, and the violations alleged against the employers. Buried by Snow In the case of Tungsten Strawberry Lodge in the Sierra Nevada town of Kyburz … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update – Sept 2 2022

There are two new workplace fatalities from recent days. In Palo Alto, an employee of Central Point,  Oregon-based construction subcontractor F.D. Thomas suffered a fatal fall from a scaffold inside a high-rise building. The employee was working overnight and the fall came after midnight.  The 15-story building, the tallest in Palo Alto (built in 1966), … Read More »

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