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Infection Control Checklist Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms are becoming increasingly common. In part, this is due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which tends to breed resistant strains. Another factor is the spread of these organisms from the immunocompromised populations where they first . . . more » Safety Committees in California: How to Develop, Implement, and Maintain an Effective Program That Works For You, Not Against You Audio Conference Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Although generally not required in California, a workplace safety committee is an extremely valuable tool that employers can use to augment their mandatory illness and injury prevention programs and keep the need for safe work habits at the forefront of everyone's . . . more » DOWNLOAD: Personal Protective Equipment; What Do You Need, When Do You Need It, and How Do You Ensure Its Effectiveness? It would be nice if workplaces could be made completely safe--if hazards could be eliminated, guarded, enclosed, rendered benign--but for some workplaces and some types of work, it just isn't going to happen . . . more » Emergency Planning and Response: How to Manage the Media — and Contain Negative Publicity — in the Event of a Crisis at Your Workplace Audio Conference Originally presented on June 13, 2007 It is not pleasant to think about a crisis at your workplace that draws news outlets to your door--but planning ahead for this contingency is vital for the well-being of both your workers and your business. Join us on June 13 for an in-depth audio conference on preparing your company for the possibility of a media event . . . more » DOWNLOAD: The Dollars and Cents of Safety--Why Safety's Bottom Line Is a Boon to Business; Learn How to Reap the Benefits for Your Workplace Where does safety show up on your company's balance sheet? Is it always and only in the expense column? If so, you may not be fully aware of all of your safety program's benefits. Many studies have demonstrated that an investment in safety not only prevents injury-related losses but significantly increases productivity--companies that have measured it report increases of 10 percent or more. Keep reading to find out how you can make the case to management that safety is no charitable contribution but a genuine investment with measurable positive returns. . . . more » More

Toxic Mold: Preventing Mold-Related Problems in Indoor Workplaces; Guidance from Federal OSHA and California California was the first state in the nation to pass a law addressing the hazards of toxic mold in buildings: the Toxic Mold Protection Act of 2001. This act required the California Department of Health Services (DHS) to present a study to the legislature evaluating . . . more » Roofing Safety: A Review of Cal/OSHA's Requirements; Prevent Slips, Falls, Serious Injuries, and Deaths Workers on roofs are at risk for serious injuries and death from falls. Not only do they perform their jobs at substantial heights, but they may also be working on surfaces that are . . . more » Best Practices: Federal OSHA's Fundamentals of a Workplace First Aid Program; Are You Ready to Respond to Medical Emergencies? Employers in California are required to ensure that medical treatment is readily available to sick or injured workers under General Industry Safety Order Section 3400, Medical Services and First Aid. . . . more » Sign up for a trial and access more articles like these

Bulletin: Special Report Included with this Issue: "Safety Recordkeeping - Set the Record Straight; Understanding the Ins and Outs of Cal/OSHA's Recordkeeping Rules" Keeping safety records can be time-consuming and confusing, but it's also vital to your compliance efforts and to documenting how well your safety program operates. Plus, you could face citations and fines if you . . . more » Bulletin: Cal/OSH Appeals Board Decisions Now Searchable by Topic and Keyword Our online subscribers have free access to the complete text of Cal/OSH Appeals Board decisions in PDF format. Looking for rulings on IIPPs= or failure to report an accident? You can now locate the decisions through . . . more » Bulletin: ACES 2008 - Next Month in Irvine Time's running out to save on your registration for the 2008 Advanced California Employer Seminar. From September 17-19, you'll receive in-depth instruction on the confusing nuances of wage and hour law and internal investigations from skilled California employment attorneys. You also have the option of attending the dynamic pre-conference workshops on intermittent leaves and recordkeeping. And if you sign up by August 20, you'll save $100 . . . more » Bulletin: ERI Wins 10th Editorial Award The Employer Resource Institute, publisher of Cal/OSHA Compliance Advisor, has just won an APEX Award for Publication Excellence in the category of New Newsletters. The award, ERI's 10th, was given to our . . . more » Bulletin: COCA Online Exclusive - Infection Control Checklist In this month's issue, we cover the risks associated with methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a dangerous "superbug" that has been prominent in the news lately. To help you . . . more » Infection Control Checklist Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms are becoming increasingly common. In part, this is due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which tends to breed resistant strains. Another factor is the spread of these organisms from the immunocompromised populations where they first . . . more » Ergonomics: Lean Manufacturing, Part 1; When More Efficiency Leads to Aching Backs Over the last decade, many manufacturers have embraced "lean manufacturing," a strategy to eliminate wasted time, motion, and storage by streamlining production, altering production processes, and paring back warehousing. These changes often show up in the bottom line at . . . more » Combustible Dusts: Act Now to Protect Workers from Explosions On Feb. 7, 2008, the city of Savannah, Ga., shook to the blast of an explosion at the Imperial Sugar refinery, which claimed 13 lives. In the four months following that incident, more than 50 additional combustible dust explosions occurred in the United States, including one in the Los Angeles . . . more » Injury Prevention: Animal Handling; Don't Let the Bear Get You Rocky the grizzly bear was a star. The 5-year-old, 7 1/2-foot-tall grizzly had most recently appeared in the Will Ferrell movie "Semi-Pro." So when Randy Miller and his cousin Stephen Miller, both experienced animal handlers, were working with Rocky and a third trainer at the Predators . . . more » Emerging Hazards: Mercy, Mercy, MRSA; Keep Workers Safe from This Drug-Resistant Microbe Alma Zavala worked for 12 years as a guard at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County before she became a dorm officer there in March 2008 at a level I minimum security dorm. Within about two weeks, the 45-yearold Zavala was admitted to a hospital and diagnosed with pneumonia; shortly . . . more » Appeals Board Decisions: DOSH Discovers Price of Not Participating in Discovery--Case Dismissed In response to an employee complaint, the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) conducted an inspection at Fresno City College, a division of the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) and issued five citations, one of which included 22 separate violations. . . . more » Trainer's Handbook: Confined Spaces; A Basic Refresher for All Workers Workers whose jobs may never require them to enter a confined space need to know what one is so that they'll know to avoid its deadly hazards. A worker who thinks he or she can clear a jam in a process vessel by climbing into it, or a worker who thinks that it would only take a . . . more » News Note: Want Happier Workers? Give 'Em More Green Greenbacks aren't the only green that cheers workers, according to horticultural researchers at Texas State University. They found that people who worked in offices with plants and windows felt better about . . . more » News Note: Steep Penalties for Child Labor Violations Now in Effect Employers that violate child labor laws will face stiffer fines under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which was recently amended by miscellaneous provisions contained in the new Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Employers may be hit with a $50,000 penalty for . . . more » News Note: CPWR Releases Report, Recommendations for Preventing Crane Deaths, Injuries An average of 22 workers die each year in crane-related incidents, according to a new report on U.S. crane fatalities from the Center for Construction Research and Training (formerly known as the Center to Protect Workers' Rights and still known as CPWR). The report recommends . . . more » News Note: EPA May Follow California's Lead The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has acted on a citizens' petition requesting it to nationally adopt a recently enacted California regulation to control formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products and extend the rule to include composite wood products in . . . more » News Note: Asthma Admissions Soaring Hospitals are finding that increasing numbers of adults admitted to the hospital for other conditions also have asthma, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Causes of the disease, which include occupational . . . more » Online Exclusive: Sample Policy Prohibiting Workplace Bullying Workplace bullies are off the hook when their behavior violates no law or company policy. Make bullying behavior a violation of company policy, either on its on or through an expanded definition within . . . more » Bulletin: 2008 Advanced California Employer Seminar Is on the Horizon Employers deal with wage and hour issues and internal investigations regularly, but even the most seasoned professionals get tripped up. And making an error in one of these areas can lead to expensive lawsuits. But you can be proactive by joining us for the 2008 Advanced California Employer Seminar in Irvine from September 17-19 for targeted, comprehensive training from top California experts on these troublesome topics. Visit www.ca-safety.com/aces for more details, including information on the optional pre-conference workshops covering intermittent leaves and recordkeeping. You'll save $100 on your registration if you sign up by August 20. . . . more » Bulletin: Competition Is Heating Up for the ERI 2008 Safe California Workplaces Award It's not too late to submit an entry for the ERI 2008 Safe California Workplaces Award, but don't delay--the deadline is August 31. Tell us what's working at your company to prevent injuries, foster a safety culture, create a comprehensive safety program, and more. Your organization could take home the grand prize: a one-year subscription to COCA Online (a $399 value), front-page coverage in a COCA feature story, and an engraved plaque. Click here to enter. . . . more » Bulletin: COCA Online Exclusive: Sample Workplace Bullying Policy Although bullying does occur at work, there's no law against it. Proposed "healthy workplace" legislation died in California in 2003; in January 2007, however, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors did . . . more » Bulletin: Get Your Copy of ERI's Employer Guide on Toxic Mold Mold and other indoor air quality concerns present ever-mounting problems to facility and safety managers. Toxic mold is responsible for various health issues, and repairing mold-damaged buildings costs . . . more » Electrical Safety: Flexible Cords and Cables; Be Inflexible About Safety Sometimes you need an electrical cord that bends a little. Maybe it's because you have to use your power drill or saw in many different locations during the workday. Maybe it's because a piece of machinery . . . more » Injury Prevention: Not Just in the Trenches; Beware of Unstable Hillside Collapses On June 12, 2007, an employee of Watsonville-based Granite Construction was checking the grade of a hillside when it collapsed, crushing and fatally injuring him. In October 2007, a day laborer . . . more » Risk Management: Improve Safety by Identifying and Targeting High-Risk Workers Out of your entire workforce, who is most at risk of an occupational injury or illness? Can you name names (that guy on Line B, second shift, who keeps getting written up and will soon be fired)? Or do . . . more » Hazardous Chemicals: No Ifs, Ands, or Buts About It; Reduce Occupational Asthma with Environmentally Preferable Cleaners As many as 23 out of every 100 new cases of asthma may be caused by workplace exposures, and custodial workers are one of the highest risk groups. That's because they're exposed to cleaning compounds . . . more » Workplace Violence: 'Bully for You'? How Bullies Affect Your Workforce What if there was a form of violence affecting your workplace that was four times more common than sexual harassment? What if you and other American employers were losing 28 million employees each year . . . more » Trainer's Handbook: Formaldehyde Dangers Formaldehyde has popped up in the news a lot lately. First, high levels of the chemical were found in the trailers the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided to people left homeless by . . . more » News Note: Small Business Disaster Preparation Toolkit Now Available in Spanish America's 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses can become better prepared for disasters, thanks to the Open for Business disaster planning toolkit for small businesses from the Institute for . . . more » News Note: California School Receives Commercial Driver Training Grant The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has awarded $1 million in grants to nine technical and community colleges nationwide to enhance classroom safety curricula and behind-the-wheel training . . . more » More