Board Welcomes Newest Member – Nov 27, 2024

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has sworn in its new occupational safety representative, Derek Urwin, Ph.D., a firefighter and researcher. He replaces Laura Stock, who was termed out and turned out by the governor’s office after she made critical comments about the administration regarding the indoor heat illness proposal. Irwin, who recently earned his Ph.D. in … Read More »

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Future of Farming is Autonomous

Autonomous tractors. Precision sprayers that resemble a Cyber Truck – or is it the other way around? Weeders that independently clear a vineyard of unwanted vegetation and laser-guided “zappers” that target weeds and leave production plants alone. Retrofits that can be added to existing farm equipment to aid seeding. Machines that water and cultivate crops. … Read More »

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New Deadline on Silica Comments

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has extended the deadline for receiving comments on its second 15-day notice of proposed modifications to the silica proposal. The new deadline is November 13th. The proposal makes permanent revisions to General Industry Safety Orders §5204 to address silica exposures in the engineered stone industry that have killed dozens of California … Read More »

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More Changes to Silica Proposal

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has issued a second 15-day Notice of Proposed Modifications to its permanent proposal for protections from silica in the engineered stone industry. The new notice is based on comments the Board received after initial changes in September. They include revisions to General Industry Safety Orders §5204 as follows: (a)(3) Moved and … Read More »

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Standards Board Gets New Member

The governor’s office has appointed Derek Urwin, a firefighter and researcher, as the Cal/OSHA Standards Board’s occupational safety representative. He replaces Laura Stock, who is the Director of Labor Occupational Health Program at UC Berkely. She was working from an expired term and was removed this summer after criticizing the adminstration in May for ordering … Read More »

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Mixing Water With What?

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board denied a petition by a Kansas electrical lineman to require cup holders on aerial devices used in this work. The Board said the request was not only unnecessary but could pose unique hazards. Although the Board doesn’t mention it in its decision, petitioner Landon Dees has an obvious interest in seeing … Read More »

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