Among the damage from cuts to, and reorganization of, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) isan issue near and dear to some of Californiaâs wildland firefighters: A respirator for use in fighting the blazes. As Cal-OSHA Reporter reported in January, one of the prototype respirators field-tested in the summer of 2023 is …
A former Cal/OSHA enforcement deputy chief says the emergency cleanup of fire-stricken Los Angeles-area neighborhoods has ignored safety protocols and exposed crews to potentially contaminated debris, including asbestos. State officials, meanwhile, provide a different story. They say strict protocols are in place, and Cal/OSHA has made concerted efforts to raise awareness of the hazards inherent …
California employers have distributed millions of pieces of personal protective equipment; Cal/OSHA has monitored thousands of employees at dairies and poultry farms and conducted inspections at dozens of compliance inspections ostensibly to control the bird flu outbreak, which has hit this stateâs animal agricultural industry. Now, a controversy has developed at the Cal/OSHA Standards Board …
The Department of Industrial Relations says it is giving $6 million to nonprofit community-based organizations in the Los Angeles area, to âeducate and assistâ workers on health and safety issues during the recovery and rebuilding from the recent devastating wildfires. The grants to 21 community-based organizations (CBOs) in the region are part of the California …
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board received no comments, yea or nea, on its proposal to adopt updated Fed-OSHA standards on quantitative fit testing. The quiet public hearing on March 21st means that the proposal is on track for adoption. The Board has scheduled a vote for July 18th. Fed-OSHA adopted the revisions in 2019 and Cal/OSHA …
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/OSHAâs Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not appear to have ever discussed regulations to protect the …
Although Interline Brandsâ San Bernardino facility (now known as Home Depot USA) has provided substantial foot protection for its warehouse workers, it didnât provide it for all employees. Cal/OSHAâs Division of Occupational Safety and Health, according to an unpublished decision issued by the California Court of Appeal, correctly cited the warehouse for a violation of …
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board will convene two days of advisory committee meetings in mid-November with the wildland firefighting community to discuss updates to Cal/OSHA regulations based on National Fire Protection Association standards. This will be the fourth meeting of the committee since June 2022. It originally convened in 2015. These meetings are necessitated by legislation …