On May 5, 2025, the California Department of Industrial Relations made an important announcement that affects employers in the construction industry. Cal/OSHA has clarified lead exposure prevention guidance specific to...more
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) is considering the formation of a subcommittee to tackle challenges arising from the dismantling of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and...more
As of February 3, 2025, most of Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Standards have officially come to an end. This marks a significant shift for California employers who have been navigating these regulations and...more
2/13/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Final Rules ,
Labor Regulations ,
Public Health ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
In light of the ongoing and devastating fires in Los Angeles County, Cal/OSHA released new guidance to ensure the safety and health of workers involved in fire damage cleanup. Of note, Cal/OSHA’s standards may apply to some...more
1/28/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
New Guidance ,
NIOSH ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
In light of recent wildfires across Southern California, employers should make sure they are familiar with California’s wildfire smoke standard. Sadly, harmful air quality from wildfire smoke can occur anywhere in the state...more
1/13/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Health and Safety ,
OSHA ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
On December 18, 2024, Governor Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency to streamline and expedite the state’s response to Avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as “Bird Flu.” This may give many employers flashbacks to the...more
Cal/OSHA regulates employee safety at places of employment. Historically, household domestic services were excluded from the definition of a “place of employment” and therefore Cal/OSHA’s jurisdiction. With a swish of his...more
As Golden State employers know, a new workplace violence prevention law for non-healthcare employers went into effect on July 1, 2024. Cal/OSHA, the agency charged with overseeing workplace safety and health, has been...more
In June, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board – unanimously adopted a new standard for Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment. The standard applies to all indoor work areas where the...more
On June 20, 2024, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) unanimously adopted a new standard for Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment. A prior attempt to pass the regulation...more
California has enacted the country’s first general industry workplace violence prevention safety law. The law takes effect on July 1, 2024, and imposes requirements on nearly all California employers, including retail...more
Last year, California’s Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 553, which requires most employers to establish, implement, and maintain an effective Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). The law is enforceable on July 1, 2024....more
Cal/OSHA has been working on a proposed Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Standard since 2017. Now, nearly 5 years later, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board published a draft standard and announced a public hearing on Heat Illness...more
On March 3, 2023, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board published notice of proposed revised regulations pertaining to workplace exposure to lead for the general industry and construction safety orders....more
In October 2022, Governor Newsom announced the California COVID-19 State of Emergency would end on February 28, 2023. While this will phase out some of the tools the state used in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, it does not...more
California employers take note: the non-emergency version of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention regulations are now in effect.
At the end of 2022, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to adopt the COVID-19 Prevention...more
California employers are required to post their annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses, in a visible and easily accessible area at every worksite from February 1st through April 30th. Cal/OSHA’s Form 300A must...more
On December 15, 2022, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board held its final meeting of 2022 and adopted the COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations. The COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS)will continue to remain in...more
On December 31, 2022, Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) finally sunset. However, the Standards Board has been working to pass a permanent standard to ensure it is in place before the expiration of the...more
It may come as a surprise to some, but Cal/OSHA’s workplace violence regulations currently apply only to the Health Care Industry. Cal/OSHA plans to change that.
Right now, for non-healthcare industries, Cal/OSHA regulates...more
As we head into the summer months, employers with outdoor worksites in California may wish to review their Heat Illness Prevention Plans (HIPP) and obligations under Cal/OSHA’s outdoor heat illness prevention standard....more
At the end of April, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to approve the Third Readoption of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The revised version of the ETS took effect on May 6, 2022....more
The Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR) Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF) has announced an initiative to inspect publicly funded construction sites to ensure employers provide worker’s compensation and follow labor...more
At the start of their January 20th meeting, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board announced they would not consider the proposal to adopt the federal ETS, also known as a Horcher proposal. This comes shortly after the U.S. Supreme...more
At the end of the year, California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued updated guidance regarding Isolation and Quarantine, which applied to workplaces per the Governor’s prior Executive Order. The timing of this...more
1/14/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
CDPH ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety