Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
California Governor Gavin Newsom in October signed the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (SB 707) into law. This law “establishes stewardship programs for various products, including, among others, carpet, mattresses, and pharmaceutical and sharps waste,” according to the bill summary. The law establishes the country’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) textile recycling program and […]
In a final rule published October 11, 2024, in the Federal Register, the EPA took final action on a revision to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) portion of the California state implementation plan (SIP). This revision concerns the regulation of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and particulate matter (PM) associated with warehouses as […]
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced August 27 that it cited nine employers in Sun Valley within the greater Los Angeles area as part of the agency’s efforts to address the growing number of silicosis cases among stone workers in California. The agency is seeking over $168,000 in fines. The cited employers […]
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 […]
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board meets May 16 to consider readopting the state’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) for occupational exposures to respirable crystalline silica. The board adopted an ETS on December 14, 2023, which became effective December 29, to protect workers in the stone fabrication industry from silicosis. California’s permanent silica standard […]
On December 14, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) approved an emergency temporary standard (ETS) for respirable crystalline silica to protect workers from silicosis, the state Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) announced. The ETS goes into effect on December 29. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) proposed the ETS […]
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB), which sets workplace safety and health standards for the state, released revised text of its draft standard for heat illness prevention in indoor spaces. The board updated its draft standard in response to comments made in an earlier draft. Changes to the proposed regulation include: Comments […]
A new law recently enacted in California requires employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan and could prove influential if other states follow suit. On Sept. 30, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 553 into law, requiring nearly all businesses to have their plans in place by July 1, 2024. Exempted from the law are […]
On August 10, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced it will increase its physical presence in Fresno, Santa Barbara, and Riverside counties. The move will enable agency field inspectors to respond more efficiently in the Central Valley, Inland Empire, and Central Coast areas, according to Cal/OSHA. The state agency will start […]
Four petitions for review were filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the EPA’s reinstatement of the waiver that allows the State of California to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from motor vehicles. The case presents significant questions regarding state and federal sovereignty, and any decisions reached in the matter have the potential […]