Articles Discussing California Workplace Health And Safety Issues.

Last fall, California enacted Senate Bill 525, which substantially raises the base minimum wage for health care workers over time to $25 per hour.  The first incremental increase above the general state minimum wage was scheduled to occur on June 1, 2024.  However, there were several delays and amendments to

On September 27, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law legislation that will enhance current healthcare safety regulations by requiring hospitals to implement weapons detection screening and personnel education and training policies in 2027.

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 duster pen, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 1350, which removes this exemption and grants Cal/OSHA control over household

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 directed to develop regulations to implement this new law.

Many employers are hoping that the new regulations

With proper planning, Golden State manufacturing employers can mitigate the risk of Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims premised on alleged violations of the California Occupational Safety and Health Act (Cal/OSHA).

On September 30, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 553, establishing a new workplace violence prevention standard in California. SB 553 came into effect on July 1, 2024, and the new law requires virtually every California employer to implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan

California’s indoor heat illness regulation, the first of its kind in the United States, is now in effect. New requirements apply to all indoor work areas where the temperature is 82° F or above, with few exceptions. Additional requirements apply for higher temperatures. California employers with any work settings that

According to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), California’s new heat illness prevention rules for indoor workplaces became effective on July 23, 2024.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) will hold an advisory committee meeting on August 19, 2024, to solicit input on proposed regulations concerning enterprise-wide and egregious violations of employee safety and health requirements. The meeting agenda with link to videoconference and dial-in information, advisory committee roster and

On July 15, 2024, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1870, which mandates that employers include information in their notices about an injured employee’s right to consult with a licensed attorney for advice about workers’ compensation law and that attorneys’ fees may be paid as part of the injured worker’s

By: California’s Heating Up- CAL/OSHA’s New Indoor Heat Illness Regulations

Cal/OSHA recently voted to adopt new regulations on indoor heat illness prevention. This new regulation applies to any indoor work area where “the temperature equals or exceeds 82 degrees Fahrenheit when employees are present,” which has the possibility to impact many

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 failed on procedural grounds.

Covered Employers

The new standard will apply to all indoor work areas where the

On June 20, 2024, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board partially adopted Petition 602—a proposal to require employers to provide opioid overdose reversal medications (e.g., naloxone) at all worksites and provide employees with training on the safe administration of the medication—with a referral to the California Division of

On June 20, 2024, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted unanimously to adopt the latest draft version of Title 8 CCR § 3396, Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment, after a prior attempt at passing a proposed indoor heat regulation failed.

By: California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Deadline is in Less Than Two Weeks

California employers who have not put together their Workplace Violence Prevention Plan need to move quickly.  

Effective July 1, almost all California employers (with a few exceptions) are required to:

Have a written Workplace Violence Prevention