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
Even as temperatures cool, Nevada’s Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) was working to adopt a heat illness regulation. On November 15, 2024, the State of Nevada adopted new regulations meant to protect employees from...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
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Walkaround Rule has sparked a legal showdown between business associations and OSHA in a U.S. District Court in Texas. The agency’s rulemaking powers and...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
Previously, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) had redefined “close contact’ as someone sharing the same indoor airspace with a person who had COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a...more
As part of the recent legislative session, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1775, which implements new workplace safety training and certification requirements for entertainment events vendors who produce live events...more
On September 29, 2022, California’s Governor signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2693, which amends and extends COVID-19 workplace notice requirements until January 1, 2024.
...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