With the death of a 27-year old construction worker last week in a trench collapse in San Diego, California has experienced three such fatalities since June of 2023. Cal/OSHAâs Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited two employers in the 2023 cases and is investigating the latest incident. The employee was killed in San Diegoâs …
Valero Refiningâs two California operations have considerable experience with the Cal/OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Both are working toward recertification. Now one of their contractors, BrandSafway, has achieved Star status at Valeroâs Wilmington refinery. Christine James, vice president and general manager of the refinery, calls BrandSafway âa natural fitâ for VPP. The company is best …
Cal/OSHAâs beleaguered Bureau of Investigation has gone from having only two investigators in Southern California and none in the north in 2023 to having a new chief investigator and eight new investigators, all since July of this year. Moreover, the Division has reimagined how the bureau should operate, moving investigators from central hubs such as …
The Appeals Board says it is changing how it holds status conferences to âfairly, timely, and efficientlyâ resolve employersâ appeals to Cal/OSHA citations. The changes, announced on August 26th, are effective immediately, according to Presiding Administrative Law Judges Kerry Lewis and Sam Lucas. Lewis presides over ALJ activities in Northern California and Lucas in the …
Cal/OSHA is taking its first steps toward adopting new rules that establish âenterprise-wideâ and âegregiousâ violations â and the accompanying penalties. Stakeholders weighed in on the proposed rules earlier this week, although the participation was less than expected. âThese regulations have significance,â says Bruce Wick, director of risk management for Housing Contractors of California, addressing …
The Feds were generally complimentary toward the California state plan in its Federal Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (FAME) report. However, there were several new âfindings and observationsâ in the evaluation covering October 1st, 2022, through September 30th, 2023. Cal/OSHAâs continuing hiring challenge plays a leading role in Fed-OSHAâs fiscal year 2023 concernsâother criticisms centered on …
General contractor Rudolph and Sletten has some 10 years in a Voluntary Protection Program-Construction (VPP-C) journey that keeps rolling and helps spread a safety culture throughout the industry. The latest VPP-C site is a special project, the Skilled Nursing and Memory Care Facility at the sprawling Veteranâs Home of California in Yountville, administered by CalVet. …