Responding to critical comments from the Orange County District Attorney about a letter sent from the Cal/OSHA Standards Board to seven county prosecutors seeking help in fighting the silicosis outbreak, Board chair Joseph Alioto, Jr., says the request is not about seeking jail time for employers, but bringing “accountability.” The February letter, penned by Alioto …
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has written to district attorneys in the seven counties with the vast majority of silicosis cases, asking them to join Cal/OSHA “in a unified fight” to stop the disease, caused by exposure to workers who “cut, grind and polish stone countertops.” The request was sent to the D.A.s in Los Angeles, …
As California’s legislative season sprouts, two bills of interest to the occupational safety and health community have been introduced. Neither appears particularly significant, but one should trigger some debate. That bill, AB 2499 by Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Gardena), would require Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health to submit a regulatory proposal to the Standards …
As expected, the California Industrial Hygiene Council (CIHC) has petitioned the Cal/OSHA Standards Board to add clarifying language to the airborne contaminants standard regarding personnel competency to perform air monitoring. The organization says it is not seeking a requirement for certified industrial hygienists to perform such monitoring, rather to make clear what competency looks like, …
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is down to five members with the resignation of Kathleen “Kate” Crawford, one of the two management members of the rulemaking body. Crawford tells Cal-OSHA Reporter she is “stepping back due to a serious health condition.” Board members and staff at the February meeting feted Crawford, who joined the Board in …
New petitions to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board seek engineering controls for a common task in healthcare settings, and for warning signs at construction sites about respiratory protection. The Board has six months to take action on these petitions. A petition from California Nurses for Environmental Health & Justice (CNEH&J) would require the use of fume …