The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has written to district attorneys in the seven counties with the vast majority of silicosis cases, asking them to join Cal/OSHA “in a unified fight” to stop the disease, caused by exposure to workers who “cut, grind and polish stone countertops.” The request was sent to the D.A.s in Los Angeles, …
As California’s legislative season sprouts, two bills of interest to the occupational safety and health community have been introduced. Neither appears particularly significant, but one should trigger some debate. That bill, AB 2499 by Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Gardena), would require Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health to submit a regulatory proposal to the Standards …
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a valuable tool in medicine, providing a clear picture of what is going on in the body. But a series of incidents, including a scary injury at a Bay Area hospital in 2023, have shown that MRIs potentially can pose hazards to employees because of the powerful magnets they use. …
As expected, the California Industrial Hygiene Council (CIHC) has petitioned the Cal/OSHA Standards Board to add clarifying language to the airborne contaminants standard regarding personnel competency to perform air monitoring. The organization says it is not seeking a requirement for certified industrial hygienists to perform such monitoring, rather to make clear what competency looks like, …
Cal/OSHA seeks more than $200,000 in penalties against a San Jose sheet metal manufacturer following the second amputation incident at the company in about a year, despite previous citations. The Division cited All FAB Precision Sheetmetal for two serious violations – including a willful repeat – and willful violation of the fatality and serious injury …
Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited several more employers after investigating 2025 workplace fatalities. The incidents themselves were first reported in the pages of Cal-OSHA Reporter. Herc Rentals, Fontana: This employer faces three alleged serious violations and $63,000 in proposed penalties in the wake of a June 2025 fatality. An equipment operator …
Nine employers have earned Cal/OSHA’s recognition for their efforts to promote workplace safety. They include new entrants into the agency’s difficult-to-attain Voluntary Protection Program for Construction (VPP-C), the Cal/SHARP program, and the Golden Gate Partnership Program. Here are the new employers: FLINT Design Build, based in Roseville, is the newest member of VPP-C. it qualified …