The bill that would have required shops that fabricate engineered stoneāsilicaāto be licensed and registered is off the table following opposition from Cal/OSHA and the governorās office. Assemblyman Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley) withdrew AB 3043 when it became clear that the bill would likely be vetoed. Since the California Legislature is near the end …
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to essentially put off a petition requiring āopioid antagonistsāāread Narconāin first-aid kits that every California employer must have. It sent the idea to an advisory committee. Members and stakeholders have serious qualms about the idea, and there seems to be little likelihood that the Board will make any regulatory change …
The California Labor Commissioner is proposing more than $5 million in penalties against Amazon for alleged violations of AB 701, a 2021 law intended to curb warehouse quota abuse. The state alleges that Amazon warehouses in Moreno Valley and Redlands used a āpeer-to-peerā quota system, which it says is exactly the kind of quota scheme …
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board will vote next week on a petition requiring employers to have and maintain opioid-reversal medication at worksites. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health supports the petition in its entirety, but Board staff has reservations. The proposed decision takes a middle approach. The petition, filed by the National Safety Council, seeks …
Several bills of interest to Californiaās occupational safety and health community have been approved by their houses of origin and are now being considered by the other chamber. The most significant legislation is AB 3043 by Assemblyman Luz Rivas (D-Arleta), which would prohibit the use of dry methods in fabricating engineered stone in order to …
New laws that became effective January 1st have restricted workplace inquiries about testing for cannabis use. However, employers can still check employees and potential hires through exemptions to the rules and new testing technologies. Under SB 700, employers are prohibited from asking job applicants about past cannabis use, but there are exceptions for jobs involving …
As the Cal/OSHA Standards Board prepares to finalize regulations to protect indoor workers from heat illness, a state legislator is focusing on requiring outdoor workers to be trained on theĀ existing outdoor regulations. It is becoming more common for the legislature to impose itself on what has appropriately been the purview of the Cal/OSHA Standards …
As Cal/OSHA works to address a growing number of workplace silicosis cases, a newly proposed California Assembly bill aims to up the ante for engineered stone fabricators. AB 3043 by Assemblyman Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley) would establish a statewide licensing program for fabrication shops, require workers to undergo training, prohibit the dry-cutting of engineered …