The Heat is on Cal/OSHA After Controversial Vote

Questions abound regarding last week’s meeting of – and vote by – the Cal/OSHA Standards Board. Was the Board “blindsided” by a last-minute request to postpone a vote on the indoor heat illness prevention standard by the state Department of Finance (DOF)? Will the Board’s decision to approve the controversial standard without the required fiscal … Read More »

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Standards Board’s Rulemaking Plans

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has charted out its regulatory schedule for 2024. Some significant projects are due for votes in the coming months. First, it has to sort out the fate of the indoor heat illness prevention regulation, which was subject to a highly controversial vote on March 21st which might not survive scrutiny by … Read More »

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No Cal/OSHA Regs on Homeless Encampments, but Caution Advised

Homeless people living outdoors in unsanitary conditions could contract and spread contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, typhus, and hepatitis A, but whether sidewalk encampments pose a significant health threat to the public or not is unclear. Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not appear to have ever discussed regulations to protect the … Read More »

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Norcal Lost its Only BOI Investigator

Cal/OSHA’s Bureau of Investigations (BOI) will have no personnel in Northern California following the resignation of Julio Alfaro, a senior investigator who was the lone BOI representative in the north … Read More »

Nola Contender?

As Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health searches for its third chief in the past several years, candidates are starting to surface. Three internal DOSH candidates have applied. Now, a member of the Standards Board has thrown her hat in the ring. Nola Kennedy, PhD., CIH, the Board’s occupational health representative, appears to be … Read More »

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New Bill Adds Silica Requirements

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 … Read More »

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Hoist Petition Decision

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has denied a petition by a safety equipment company to allow the use of load detection devices on construction personnel hoists instead of the currently mandated calculations for load capacity versus net platform area. The petitioner is a company that provides CPHs, scaffolding, and other equipment at construction sites. It says … Read More »

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