Cal/OSHA says it is finalizing changes to its policies and procedures in the wake of a critical review by the state auditor that found a number of deficiencies in the enforcement program. CAL/OSHA’s comments are part of the required 60-day response to the State Auditor’s findings and recommendations. Here are some highlights of the response: …
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 …
Fed-OSHA monitors Cal/OSHA (and all state plans) on how well their program is adhering to and meeting federal metrics on a two-year, biennial evaluation cycle. Since 2023, the Federal Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (FAME) report shows Cal/OSHA is improving. Among other things, the agency has improved its vacancy rate since the 2023 evaluation. And while …
It’s almost a year late, but the Department of Industrial Relations has submitted its 2023 report to the California Legislature on Cal/OSHA’s activities for that year. Why was it so late? Cal-OSHA Reporter asked DIR the reason, and whether the legislature had granted an extension, but had not received a reply by publication. DIR is …
Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health opened 12% fewer inspections during the first three quarters of 2024 than during the same period in 2023. It issued 12% fewer citations, according to data obtained by Cal-OSHA Reporter. DOSH conducted 4,681 inspections between January 1st and October 16th of this year, compared to 5,314 during the …
Jesus Salazar Castillo, 66, a line worker at poultry processor Pitman Farms in Sanger, California, regularly volunteered for overtime on weekends, working in the wastewater pit area to clean the surroundings. That practice may have been his undoing. In May 2023, he was apparently overcome by hydrogen disulfide (H2S) near the pit, fell in, and …
Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health initiated 10% more workplace investigations in 2023 than in 2022, including 6% more onsite inspections, according to the final data for the year. Conversely, those inspections yielded 11% fewer alleged violations than in 2022. Violations are down 42% from the 22,011 alleged in 2016 and have been in …
Employers Subject to Forms 300 and 301 E-Submission