Among the damage from cuts to, and reorganization of, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) isan issue near and dear to some of California’s wildland firefighters: A respirator for use in fighting the blazes. As Cal-OSHA Reporter reported in January, one of the prototype respirators field-tested in the summer of 2023 is …
A former Cal/OSHA enforcement deputy chief says the emergency cleanup of fire-stricken Los Angeles-area neighborhoods has ignored safety protocols and exposed crews to potentially contaminated debris, including asbestos. State officials, meanwhile, provide a different story. They say strict protocols are in place, and Cal/OSHA has made concerted efforts to raise awareness of the hazards inherent …
The Department of Industrial Relations says it is giving $6 million to nonprofit community-based organizations in the Los Angeles area, to “educate and assist” workers on health and safety issues during the recovery and rebuilding from the recent devastating wildfires. The grants to 21 community-based organizations (CBOs) in the region are part of the California …
As the first week of 2025 comes to a close, Cal-OSHA Reporter’s thoughts are with the employers, employees, and people of the Los Angeles metropolis, which is experiencing a waking nightmare. As Cal-OSHA Reporter goes to press, more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed by three major fires ignited by hellish winds – some have …
Summer is officially here, and so the fire season has arrived – in force. As Cal-OSHA Reporter goes to press, Cal Fire reports more than 2,100 wildfires throughout California, burning at least 66,000 acres and damaging or destroying at least 22 structures. These totals are sure to increase. The fires are releasing plumes of smoke and …
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board will convene two days of advisory committee meetings in mid-November with the wildland firefighting community to discuss updates to Cal/OSHA regulations based on National Fire Protection Association standards. This will be the fourth meeting of the committee since June 2022. It originally convened in 2015. These meetings are necessitated by legislation …