Third Times a Charm on Fire Truck Mechanics Cancer Study?

California’s Commission on Health, Safety, and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) is trying again to get a usable study to assess the cancer risks faced by those who clean and maintain firefighting vehicles. The Commission recently approved a study proposal after hearing a presentation by the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) program outlining its plans … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Cal/OSHA’s Identity Question

It has been an article of faith around these parts that “Cal/OSHA” refers to all of the components of the state program, but a recent note from the communications team at the Department of Industrial Relations throws this assumption into question. In a recent Cal-OSHA Reporter article about the adoption of the Confined Spaces in … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

State Audit Hits Cal/OSHA

A review of Cal/OSHA enforcement by the California State Auditor (CSA) cites continuing staffing shortages and “lax management of its policies and procedures” – and sometimes the P&Ps themselves – for several deficiencies it identified after inspecting selected case files. Audits of state agencies are a more/less routine function of the CSA. The audit was … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Cal/OSHA Advisory Committee Report

A multimillion-dollar project to automate Cal/OSHA’s information handling capabilities is about to enter its next stage – construction – officials of the Department of Industrial Relations said at the recent Cal/OSHA Advisory Committee meeting. The committee also heard about the Division’s plans for heat illness education and enforcement, its hiring progress, and updates from several … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

DIR Director Hagen Resigns

Editors Note: This story has been corrected and updated. Director Hagen is moving to a JPA not to the private sector. Department of Industrial Relations Director Katie Hagen is leaving … Read More »

Cal/OSHA and the May Revise

Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health is designated to get a 13% budget cut for the coming fiscal year under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May revise. The Division will also lose some hiring authorization for 66 unfilled positions, but few involve inspectors. Other parts of the Cal/OSHA program were spared cuts in the budget plan. … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

High-Heat Changes Proposed

Under draft language released by Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health to implement recent legislation, employers would have to take extra heat illness prevention steps for some employees when temperatures reach 80ÂșF, indoors or outdoors. The draft revisions to the heat illness prevention standards, General Industry Safety Orders §§ 3395 and 3396, are intended … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »

Cal/OSHA’s ‘Clarification’ on Lead

Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has clarified the revised lead standard’s requirements for worker protection during abrasive blasting. It is unclear why the Division issued this guidance. The information is exactly the same as a guidance document already posted on the DOSH website. Cal-OSHA Reporter asked the Department of Industrial Relations the reason … Read More »

This content is only available to premium subscribers. Please login here log in

Read More »