On August 22, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced it has ramped up its recruitment, hiring more staff for its Bureau of Investigations (BOI). The unit is responsible for investigations related to the most serious workplace injuries in the state, including worker deaths, and makes recommendations for criminal prosecutions.
“The Bureau of Investigations has a separate but important role focusing on the criminal responsibility of employers in accident-related deaths and life-altering injuries,” Cal/OSHA Chief Debra Lee said in an agency statement.
“Having more resources at BOI will help Cal/OSHA in its mission and bring attention to the importance of workplace safety and health,” she continued.
According to Cal/OSHA, a total of nine positions have been filled for offices throughout the state. The bureau’s new hires include a chief investigator and eight investigative staff. Special investigators are now colocated, with enforcement offices in Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Oakland, Redding, Sacramento, and San Diego, according to Cal/OSHA.
The BOI is also in the process of recruiting a supervising special investigator for Northern California and an additional investigator in Riverside or Santa Barbara.
The BOI unit previously operated statewide with a fraction of its current staffing. The recent increase in staffing will allow the BOI to tackle more cases and ensure the most negligent employers are held accountable, according to the agency.
Cal/OSHA administers California’s state occupational safety and health program with the approval and oversight of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). State programs also receive operating funds from federal OSHA.
California indoor heat standard goes into effect
California’s new Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment standard has become effective, Cal/OSHA announced July 24. The indoor heat standard applies to most indoor workplaces, such as manufacturing facilities, restaurants, and warehouses.
In indoor workplaces where the temperature reaches 82 degrees Fahrenheit, employers must take steps to protect workers from heat illness. Employer requirements under the state standard include providing water, cooldown areas, rest, and training.
Additional requirements, such as cooling down work areas, implementing work-rest schedules, and providing personal heat-protective equipment, apply when the temperature reaches 87 degrees. Where workers wear clothing that restricts heat removal or work in high-radiant-heat areas, additional requirements apply at 82 degrees.
The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved the new indoor heat standard on June 20.
California employers that have both indoor and outdoor workplaces may be covered by both indoor and outdoor regulations. The agency has compiled a Comparison Chart of Indoor and Outdoor Heat Illness Prevention Standards for employer assistance.
Exemptions from the indoor heat regulation include local and state correctional facilities, as well as emergency operations directly involved in the protection of life or property. Cal/OSHA is in the process of developing an industry-specific regulation for local and state correctional facilities to protect their workers from indoor heat hazards.
Cal/OSHA enforces workplace safety and health standards in both government (state and local) and private sector workplaces.
“This regulation provides protections for workers across California and helps prepare employers to deal with the challenges of rising temperatures in indoor environments,” Lee said in another statement.
On July 2, federal OSHA released text of a proposed heat injury and illness prevention standard for both indoor and outdoor workplaces. The proposal hasn’t yet appeared in the Federal Register, initiating a formal comment period.