California Division of Occupational Safety and Health

Last updated

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health of California (DOSH, but more commonly known as Cal/OSHA) is an agency of the Government of California established by the California Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1973. [1]

Contents

Purpose

Administered by the California Department of Industrial Relations, Cal/OSHA's mission is to protect public health and safety through research and regulation related to hazards on the job in California workplaces as well as on elevators, amusement rides, and ski lifts, and related to the use of pressure vessels such as boilers and tanks. Cal/OSHA requires that qualifying organizations create illness and injury prevention programs meant to help identify and eliminate dangers before accidents and illnesses occur. [2]

As of December 22, 2015, Cal/OSHA employed 195 field enforcement officers, 25 of whom received bilingual pay for using a second language at least 10% of the time on the job. [3] The organization offers training materials and paid training time to staff interested in learning other languages and encourages bilingual applicants to apply.

On July 1, 2020, Cal OSHA instituted a new requirement (title 8, section 3441) for agricultural workers. [4] These new standards protect nighttime agricultural workers by mandating class 2 or class 3 hi vis safety gear.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. The United States Congress established the agency under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which President Richard M. Nixon signed into law on December 29, 1970. OSHA's mission is to "assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance." The agency is also charged with enforcing a variety of whistleblower statutes and regulations. OSHA's workplace safety inspections have been shown to reduce injury rates and injury costs without adverse effects on employment, sales, credit ratings, or firm survival.

OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency of the United States that regulates workplace safety and health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational Safety and Health Act (United States)</span> United States labor law

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is a US labor law governing the federal law of occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970. Its main goal is to ensure that employers provide employees with an environment free from recognized hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions. The Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health</span> US federal government agency

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Despite its name, it is not part of either the National Institutes of Health nor OSHA. Its current director is John Howard.

Construction site safety is an aspect of construction-related activities concerned with protecting construction site workers and others from death, injury, disease or other health-related risks. Construction is an often hazardous, predominantly land-based activity where site workers may be exposed to various risks, some of which remain unrecognized. Site risks can include working at height, moving machinery and materials, power tools and electrical equipment, hazardous substances, plus the effects of excessive noise, dust and vibration. The leading causes of construction site fatalities are falls, electrocutions, crush injuries, and caught-between injuries.

Contingent work, casual work, gig work or contract work, is an employment relationship with limited job security, payment on a piece work basis, typically part-time that is considered non-permanent. Although there is less job security, freelancers often report incomes higher than their former traditional jobs.

Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response is a set of guidelines produced and maintained by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration which regulates hazardous waste operations and emergency services in the United States and its territories. With these guidelines, the U.S. government regulates hazardous wastes and dangerous goods from inception to disposal.

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) is a state government agency that regulates workplace safety and health in the U.S. state of Michigan. Michigan OSHA is an agency within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and operates under a formal state-plan agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM), previously called industrial medicine, is a board certified medical specialty under the American Board of Preventative Medicine that specializes in the prevention and treatment of work-related illnesses and injuries.

Right to know is a human right enshrined in law in several countries. UNESCO defines it as the right for people to "participate in an informed way in decisions that affect them, while also holding governments and others accountable". It pursues universal access to information as essential foundation of inclusive knowledge societies. It is often defined in the context of the right for people to know about their potential exposure to environmental conditions or substances that may cause illness or injury, but it can also refer more generally to freedom of information or informed consent.

Effective safety training is an unofficial phrase used to describe the training materials designed to teach occupational safety and health standards developed by the United States government labor organization, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA has produced many standards and regulations that affect employers and employees in the United States. United States employers have a legal responsibility to educate employees on all workplace safety standards and the hazards that their employees may face while on the job, and providing effective safety training meets that responsibility.

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division is a state government agency that regulates workplace safety and health in the U.S. state of Oregon. Oregon OSHA is a division of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services and operates under a formal state-plan agreement with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Oregon OSHA's regulatory authority comes from the Oregon Safe Employment Act (OSEA); its jurisdiction covers most public and private sector workplaces in the state. Oregon OSHA's expressed mission is "to advance and improve workplace safety and health for all workers in Oregon."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Labor Code</span> Collection of Californian civil law statutes

The California Labor Code, more formally known as "the Labor Code", is a collection of civil law statutes for the State of California. The code is made up of statutes which govern the general obligations and rights of persons within the jurisdiction of the State of California. The stated goal of the Department of Industrial Relations is to promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners of California, to improve their working conditions and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment."

An occupational fatality is a death that occurs while a person is at work or performing work related tasks. Occupational fatalities are also commonly called "occupational deaths" or "work-related deaths/fatalities" and can occur in any industry or occupation.

The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) is a cabinet-level agency of the government of California. The agency coordinates workforce programs by overseeing seven major departments dealing with benefit administration, enforcement of California labor laws, appellate functions related to employee benefits, workforce development, tax collection, economic development activities. It was conceived by the 37th governor Gray Davis and was formally created by S.B. 1236 in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational safety and health</span> Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work

Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. OSH is related to the fields of occupational medicine and occupational hygiene and aligns with workplace health promotion initiatives. OSH also protects all the general public who may be affected by the occupational environment.

The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) is a department of the government of the state of California which was initially created in 1927. The department is currently part of the Cabinet-level California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and headquartered at the Elihu M. Harris State Office Building in Oakland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voluntary Protection Program</span>

Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) initiative that encourages private industry and federal agencies to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses through hazard prevention and control, worksite analysis, training; and cooperation between management and workers. VPP enlists worker involvement to achieve injury and illness rates that are below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agricultural safety and health</span>

Agricultural safety and health is an aspect of occupational safety and health in the agricultural workplace. It specifically addresses the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and their families.

References

  1. "CAL/OSHA". Government of California. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  2. "Are You Cal-OSHA Compliant?". The National Law Review. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  3. "Cal-OSHA Lacks Spanish-Speaking Inspectors". KPBS Public Media. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  4. Melton, Peter. "Communications Director". Cal OSHA. Department of Industrial Relations. Retrieved 2 November 2020.