Senator Lena Gonzalez and co-author, Assemblyman Lorena Gonzalez, through SB 606, seek to apply Fed-OSHAâs âegregious employerâ provisions to Cal/OSHA violations. But the bill is much more than just that concept. It also would give Cal/OSHA the ability to enforce provisions of the state Labor Code directly and would empower the agency to cite employers …
A Los Angeles projectâs huge tunnel boring machines need maintenance and inspection, but also needs to keep the tunnel face pressurized. Hereâs how the construction company and Cal/OSHA have worked out procedures to keep these employees safe. The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has granted a variance from several Title 8 regulations so that employees of Tutor …
There is a new bill in the California Legislature. AB 701, by Assemblyman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), takes aim at quotas for warehouse employees â most particularly Amazon. It would require employers to provide written descriptions of employee quotas, any adverse actions resulting from failure to meet the quota, and inform employees in writing when …
Ostensibly aimed at âegregious and flagrantâ COVID-19 violations among employers, a new bill in the California Legislature would ratchet up Cal/OSHA penalties for willful violations by allowing the agency to issue a separate violation â and a separate fine â for each exposed employee. Nothing in the bill limits its application to alleged COVID exposures. …
More than six years after a state law mandated action, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board has published a rulemaking proposal to update Title 8 on firefightersâ personal protective equipment. The existing standards, General Industry Safety Orders §3403-3410 and 3411 have not been updated since the late 1980s. The proposal also would add a new section covering …
A Title 8 rule on construction personnel hoists (CPHs) that hasnât kept up with a national consensus standard has led to âinconsistent interpretations and citations from Cal/OSHA inspectors,â according to an industry group. The Construction Elevator Contractors Association (CECA) has petitioned the Standards Board to update Construction Safety Orders §1604.5(d)(2) and prevent the unwarranted violations. …
Based on five sets of citations issued since 2013 that is says were not corrected, Cal/OSHA has hit Petersen-Dean, Inc., with willful citations for fall protection violations. The proposed penalties in the case are more than $146,000, including a whopping $127,254 for a willful-repeat-serious violation of the Title 8 roofing fall protection standard. Cal/OSHA cited …
For the first time, a California appellate court has applied the common-law theory of ânegligent undertakingâ to a safety consultancy, allowing the parents of a deceased employee to sue the third-party safety consultant. The Appellate court reversed summary judgment in favor of the consultant and remanded the lawsuit back to Superior Court. It is a …