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Legislative update: Governor signs bill addressing mental health facility IIPPs, vetoes other worker safety bills
December 2012
The California legislature passed five bills this year that could have affected occupational safety and health practices as well as liability for agricultural employers and state hospitals. This fall, Governor Brown signed one of those bills but vetoed the rest. . . . more »

Legislative update: Bills in the works address healthcare worker safety, heat illness prevention for farmworkers
July 2012
Not all state rules affecting workplace safety originate with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board--sometimes, the California Legislature gets in on the game, too. Read on to find out which bills currently in the legislature could affect your workplace. . . . more »

DOL withdraws proposed revision to child labor laws for agriculture
June 2012
In the February issue of COCA, we told you about the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) proposed revisions to its agricultural employment rules for minors. The proposed revisions included a rul . . . more »

Agriculture: Cal/OSHA Updates Field Sanitation Fact Sheet; What You Must Know If You Use Hand Laborers
April 2012
California agriculture employs nearly 650,000 farm laborers every year to plant, prune, and harvest the state's crops. In 1992, Cal/OSHA implemented field sanitation standards to protect the health and safety of these workers. This past fall, the agency issued an updated field sanitation fact sheet summarizing the basic sanitation requirements that apply to hand laborers in California's fields. . . . more »

Agriculture: Congress Considers Amendments to Federal Child Labor Laws; How Changes Could Affect California Farms
March 2012
In September 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published proposed revisions to its agricultural employment rules for minors--rules that have not been updated since they were issued in 1970. . . . more »

Electrical Safety: An Overview of Required Safe Work Practices and Signage for High-Voltage Overhead Lines
January 2012
Exposure to high-voltage hazards is not limited to employees of electrical utilities--workers in industries like construction and agriculture can also be exposed to them. . . . more »

Agriculture: NIOSH Study Raises Concerns About Pesticide Drift; Risk Factors and Control Strategies for Preventing Worker Exposures
August 2011
With nine of the nation's 10 top-producing agricultural counties, and nearly half of the nation's homegrown fruits, nuts, and vegetables produced here, California is an agricultural powerhouse. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Agricultural and Industrial Tractors: Do Your Workers Know the Operating Instructions?
April 2011
A worker had just finished spraying herbicide at Vino Farms in Santa Rosa on January 23 when something went wrong--the worker was run over and pinned by the tractor he was using. He wasn't found until six hours had passed. The worker died of his injuries four days later. In 2010, at least 10 Californians died in tractor-related accidents. . . . more »

Featured Resource: Pre-Shift Inspection Checklist for Tractor Operators
April 2011
A worker should inspect any piece of motorized equipment before operating it to make sure it works properly and all safety features are in place and functional. . . . more »

Industrial Equipment: New Cal/OSHA Rule Requires Rollover Protection And Operator Training for Power Lawn Mowers
November 2010
On Aug. 30, 2004, Michael Petrini was mowing at the Santa Barbara Mission when the lawn tractor he was riding hit a rock and tumbled over a ledge. Petrini was killed. Because of their son's death, Petrini's parents petitioned the state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to amend General Industry Safety Orders Section 3563, Power Lawn Mowers, to require rollover protective systems (ROPSs) and seat belts, which they feel could have spared their son's life. . . . more »

Featured Resource: Whole Grains Can Be Deadly to Workers; A Checklist to Prevent Grain Engulfment Accidents
October 2010
Grains have been in the news lately, and it hasn't all been good. In the past year, federal OSHA has issued millions of dollars in fines against employers across the country after incidents in which workers were engulfed in stored grain. . . . more »

Bulletin: Cal/OSHA shuts down farming operations for violations of heat illness prevention standard
September 2010
Cal/OSHA shuts down farming operations for violations of heat illness prevention standard. With many regions of the state experiencing . . . more »

Ergonomics: Back Injuries Cost California Farms More Than $22 Million Each Year; Prevent These Costly Injuries
September 2010
Life on the farm can mean back-breaking work for the workers who spend their days in the fields. Carrying heavy weights such as tools and produce, they work bent over, kneeling, reaching over plants, and twisting their wrists as they apply force. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Those Pesky Pesticides; OHB Recommendations for Prioritizing Safer Pest Control Methods
April 2010
After 27 vineyard workers and six emergency responders were struck ill by pesticides drifting from an adjacent orange field in 2005, California's Occupational Health Branch (OHB), a program of the California Department of Public Health, conducted an evaluation of factors that contribute to pesticide exposure in an attempt to identify safer alternatives. . . . more »

Hazard Identification: Farm Fatalities Are on the Rise: Year-Round Tips to Protect Farmworkers in California
November 2009
Thirteen-year-old David Yenni accompanied his father to the Hunt & Behrens grain handling facility in Petaluma on Aug. 11, 2009 to deliver wheat. While his father, Norm Yenni, prepared to unload their trailer of wheat, David climbed up on top of the load. When the slide door at the bottom of the grain trailer was opened, the youth was . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: Workers Might Not Stay Strong to the Finish While Weeding Spinach; Employer Cited for Providing Short-Handled Tools
August 2009
While conducting a "heat sweep" of area farms on July 25, 2007 to check for compliance with heat illness prevention regulations, two state Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) inspectors observed employees . . . more »

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