Board Denies Variance on Tunnel Hoists

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board denied a variance and is requiring the general contractor for a Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority expansion project to use Title 8-compliant procedures for construction personnel hoists (CPHs) in tunnel access shafts. The reason, it says, is that the Board fears the variance sought by Tutor Perini/O&G Joint Venture could lead … Read More »

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A Law for Heat Illness Training?

As the Cal/OSHA Standards Board prepares to finalize regulations to protect indoor workers from heat illness, a state legislator is focusing on requiring outdoor workers to be trained on the  existing outdoor regulations. It is becoming more common for the legislature to impose itself on what has appropriately been the purview of the Cal/OSHA Standards … Read More »

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Public Hearing: Fit Test Update

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is adopting a Fed-OSHA update to respirator fit-testing protocols to ensure the Title 8 standard is at least as effective as its federal counterpart. The Board is holding a public hearing on the proposal in March, even though it is not required under the “Horcher” process for adopting federal language verbatim. … Read More »

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Controversy as Lead Vote Looms

In less than a week, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board is set to vote on the long-delayed and highly controversial revisions to the lead standards in Title 8. The February 15th meeting is sure to be long and contentious, with stakeholders making their final case to the Board about why the proposal is irretrievably flawed and … Read More »

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Another Cal/OSHA Gondola Variance

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has granted a variance to Calistoga’s Sterling Vineyards to install a high-tech gondola system that surpasses outdated Title 8 requirements. The Board has granted similar variances to several other employers in recent years. Sterling, owned by Treasury Wine Estates Americas Co., is installing a 2,816-foot detachable grip gondola tramway at the … Read More »

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New Firefighter PPE Rules Are Official

Eight years after being mandated by the California Legislature, Title 8 regulations on personal protective equipment for firefighters – both structural and wildland – are now part of the California Code of Regulations, after the Office of Administrative Law signed off. But executing on the new rules is another story. The provisions are aimed at … Read More »

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Ski Resorts & Army Want Avalanche Control Help

July seems an incongruous time to discuss avalanche protection on California’s ski resorts, but the ski industry insists it’s past time. Time, they say, is running out on the traditional system of using howitzer cannons to clear snow masses. The howitzers are commissioned by the U.S. Army, but the Army wants to end the program. … Read More »

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