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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Permanent Silica Proposal Revised

In response to requests from industry stakeholders, industrial hygienists, and Fed-OSHA, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board has revised the proposed permanent version of its silica reforms aimed at engineered stone shops. Comments on the 15-Day Notice of Proposed Modifications are due by late September. The revisions address concerns from the tile industry worried it could be … Read More »

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Looking for Another Exit (Sign)

A petition to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board seeks to optionally add an internationally recognized pictogram to the Cal/OSHA requirement for exit signs in the workplace. The request might also require approval by other agencies. Carsten M. Jonas petitioned the Board for revisions to General Industry Safety Orders §3216. That safety order requires that employers post … Read More »

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Enterprise-Wide and Egregious Violations

Cal/OSHA is taking its first steps toward adopting new rules that establish “enterprise-wide” and “egregious” violations – and the accompanying penalties. Stakeholders weighed in on the proposed rules earlier this week, although the participation was less than expected. “These regulations have significance,” says Bruce Wick, director of risk management for Housing Contractors of California, addressing … Read More »

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