The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is seeking public comment to further enhance the safe transportation of hazardous materials by rail tank cars, including the DOT 111 tank car, a type of non-pressure tank car commonly used in North America.
The agency is seeking public comment for 60 days on whether the proposals in the ANPRM would enhance safety, as well as general comments on the regulations that apply to transporting hazardous materials by rail. It also addresses operational issues that could limit or prevent derailments.
“Last year was the safest in railroading history, with train accidents down by 43% over the last ten years, and accidents involving a hazmat release down 16%,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “As the economy continues to rebound and we see more traffic on our nation’s railways, the Department of Transportation is working hard to ensure our strong record of safety continues. Seeking public feedback and ideas from our stakeholders on safety improvements is an important part of that effort.”
Recommendations in the ANPRM include enhanced tank head and shell puncture resistance systems for 111 tank cars, as well as top fittings protection that exceed current requirements. These steps reflect recommendations from NTSB investigations, while PHMSA has already addressed a fifth recommendation with the issuance of an advisory bulletin regarding the protection of pipeline facilities near railways.
“Now is the time to make sure safety regulations are robust enough for the increased hazmat movement on our rails, roads and in our pipelines, said Administrator Quarterman. “And this proposal is the vehicle for collecting and sharing the best ideas. Rail safety is a national priority, and I encourage everyone to participate and be part of the solution.”
PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman recently visited the Bakken Shale Formation, where she observed rail operations and the application of US DOT regulations. The area is one of the largest contiguous deposits of oil and natural gas in the US, found in North Dakota and Montana, where energy production has doubled in the past three years. The Bakken is having a significant impact on the nation’s transportation system as operators move gas and hazardous liquids from the region on trains, trucks, and pipelines to locations throughout the country.
The ANPRM is the latest action taken by PHMSA to improve the safe transport of hazardous materials by rail, including a recent safety alert advising shippers and carriers that when required liquefied petroleum gas transported in rail tank cars or cylinders must be properly odorized, enabling shippers, carriers and end users to detect leaks. In 2009, a final rule required newly constructed tank cars that carry toxic-by-inhalation materials to have a combination of thicker outer jackets and/or inner shells and to use full head shields where not already mandated by regulation. PHMSA also participates in several rail safety initiatives, including the Advanced Tank Car Cooperative Project, the Association of American Railroads’ Tank Car Committee, and the Liquefied Natural Gas Technical Advisory Group.
GHS OSHA Hazard Communication Training PowerPoint Now Available
With OSHA’s adoption of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals, virtually every chemical label, MSDS—now called Safety Data Sheet (SDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard.
By December 1, 2013, all employees at your site that work with, or are exposed to, hazardous chemicals must be trained to understand the new classification system, labels, warning statements, precautions, pictograms, and safety data sheets for chemicals at your worksite.
Environmental Resource Center is making available a PDF presentation or a customizable PowerPoint that you can use for on-site worker training. The training program, which covers all of OSHA’s required GHS Hazard Communication training requirements, is in a format that is easy to understand.
Pricing and options:
Options:
1. Customized PowerPoint: send us your written GHS hazard communication plan and 10–20 safety data sheets. We’ll create a custom training program for your site: $899
2. If you have not updated your hazard communication plan, let Environmental Resource Center update it for you: $799
3. Customized PowerPoint and hazard communication plan: $1600
How to Implement OSHA’s Globally Harmonized Hazard Communication Standard (GHS)
OSHA has issued a final rule revising its Hazard Communication Standard, aligning it with the United Nations’ globally harmonized system (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals. This means that virtually every product label, safety data sheet (formerly called “material safety data sheet” or MSDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard. Worker training must be updated so that workers can recognize and understand the symbols and pictograms on the new labels as well as the new hazard statements and precautions on SDSs.
Oregon OSHA Restarts Rulemaking on Confined Space Entry
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) is withdrawing the state-initiated confined space rule the agency adopted in September 2012. Employers need to comply with the pre-existing federal rules in general industry, as well as the limited construction requirements previously in place.
To develop a new proposal, Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood said the agency will bring together previous advisory groups to review industry concerns about the Oregon rule and its economic effects. He said Oregon OSHA remains committed to a comprehensive rule addressing confined space hazards in general industry and construction workplaces.
“We received questions about certain provisions of the rule and their impacts on the industry,” Wood said. “We concluded there was enough substance to their concerns to justify taking it back to the drawing board. It was simply the right thing to do.”
In order to avoid creating problems for employers who moved forward under the new rule, Oregon OSHA will not cite an employer who is in compliance with either the federal rule or the Oregon-initiated rule. Wood expects a new proposal will be adopted in about six months. He emphasized that the new proposal will not include requirements beyond those in the rule being withdrawn.
“The state rule will be the starting point for our new proposal—we may reconsider some provisions, but we aren’t planning to add any new ones,” he said.
Confined spaces, such as tanks, wells, or tunnels, have limited ability to exit, may contain potentially harmful material, and are not intended for human habitation. Workplace safety rules require employers take proper precautions when their employees must work in such spaces. In Oregon, Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces those rules.
Columbus RCRA and DOT Training
San Antonio RCRA and DOT Training
Cary HAZWOPER, RCRA, DOT, and OSHA GHS Training
Oregon OSHA Launches Video Series to Educate Young Workers
The videos cover general awareness for teens about speaking up on the job, safe lifting, ladder safety, and restaurant safety. Austin Coburn, a 19-year-old summer intern at Oregon OSHA, created the videos. Coburn was the 2013 winner of the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition’s “Speak Up. Work Safe” video contest for his video “Safety: The Musical.”
Coburn, currently studying film at George Fox University, said he wanted to make young people aware of safety issues on the job and keep the messages entertaining.
“I relied on elements such as music and comedy that I knew teens could relate to,” Coburn said. “The videos not only needed to teach the teens, but had to be memorable.”
Workers age 25 and younger are more likely to be injured on the job, according to a 2005 study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
“It’s important to reach young workers at the start of their career because they are forming safety habits and a perspective that will inform them in future years on the job,” said Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood. “Reaching them—getting their attention—requires creativity. We can’t just rely on the same methods we’ve used for years.”
Pan Am Railways Inc. Violates Employee’s Whistleblower Rights
The US Department of Labor has ordered Pan Am Railways, Inc., to pay $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, as well as take corrective action, on behalf of an injured worker. The commercial railroad, based in North Billerica, Maine, adversely charged the worker with lying when he filed a Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) complaint with OSHA.
The employee, who works in a rail yard in Waterville, Maine, filed an OSHA complaint on December 6, 2011, claiming that the railroad had subjected him to disciplinary action earlier, including a letter of reprimand, for reporting an injury and unsafe working conditions. Shortly after the filing, Pan Am Railways held a second disciplinary hearing on January 4, 2012. It alleged that the worker made false statements to OSHA and the railroad.
OSHA found that the employee engaged in protected activity when filing the complaint, and the railroad took retaliatory action by charging him with lying and by holding the second disciplinary hearing. Such adverse action can intimidate employees from exercising their FRSA rights, even if the charge is later dropped, as it was in this case.
“Employers must understand that their employees have a legal right to file a whistle-blower complaint with OSHA without fear of retaliation,” said Marthe Kent, OSHA’s New England regional administrator. “Responding to an employee’s complaint with threats of disciplinary action is not acceptable and prohibited by law.”
In addition to the compensatory and punitive damages, OSHA has ordered Pan Am Railways, Inc., to expunge all files and computerized data systems of disciplinary actions and references to the hearing notice and the January trial. The company must also post a notice to employees about its FRSA whistleblower rights at all its Maine locations and on its internal website, and provide all employees with copies of training materials related to FRSA. Finally, the company must pay reasonable attorney’s fees and compensate the employee for wages and benefits that were lost due to his attending the January disciplinary hearing.
OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the FRSA and 21 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, maritime and securities laws.
Under these laws enacted by Congress, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government.
South Dakota Engine Cooling Plant to Pay $1.33 Million Following Worker Death
Adams Thermal Systems, Inc., has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the US Attorney’s Office and OSHA to pay more than $1.33 million to resolve criminal penalties and OSHA fines levied as a result of the death of a worker on November 7, 2011, in the company’s Canton plant. The US Attorney’s Office filed the Deferred Prosecution Agreement on September 5, 2013, and has asked that it be approved by the US District Court for the District of South Dakota.
Under the terms of the agreement, the company will pay the worker’s surviving spouse $450,000, a criminal fine of $450,000, and the full OSHA fine of $435,000 stemming from the regulatory violations that caused the fatality and additional violations discovered in subsequent inspections.
OSHA’s investigation found the worker was fatally crushed in a machine used to make radiator cores, after management instructed and authorized workers to bypass the manufacturer’s barrier guard in order to adjust the machine to keep it running. OSHA also conducted two concurrent safety and health investigations at the company in February 2012, which resulted in 66 violations.
“Adams Thermal failed to provide a safe workplace, and those conditions ultimately took the life of a worker. There is no excuse for an employer to compromise safety to keep production running,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “The Department of Labor has worked diligently with the Office of the United States Attorney for South Dakota to resolve this case and provide justice to the family of this worker. No one should ever lose their life for a job.”
Because the willful violations cited by OSHA caused the worker’s death, the case was referred to the US Attorney for the District of South Dakota in November 2012 for criminal prosecution. Criminal Chief Dennis Holmes handled the case for the US Attorney’s Office.
“The purpose of this settlement, which was reached after discussions with the victim’s family, is to provide justice to the family and deter similar corporate conduct in the future,” said US Attorney Brendan Johnson. “The right of South Dakotans to a safe work environment isn’t optional, it is fundamental. I commend OSHA for their investigative efforts, and I am pleased with the settlement that has been reached.”
The agreement resolves both of the OSHA civil cases, and includes significant enhanced abatement of violations by the company. Adams Thermal Systems agreed to: increase the size of its safety and health department, implement a companywide safety and health program, provide incentives for managers and workers to report safety issues and make safety recommendations, and hire a qualified third-party to review guarding and lockout/tagout for all plant machinery as well as audit the abatement of all identified hazards. Adams Thermal Systems will also report quarterly to OSHA for three years on safety progress and reportable illnesses and injuries, and redesign the safety systems and procedures on the radiator core machine involved in the fatality.
The agreement will resolve three willful citations issued for $210,000 on April 26, 2012, as a result of the fatality investigation. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing, or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
The settlement also resolves the additional citations issued on August 2012, following two concurrent comprehensive safety and health inspections, with proposed penalties of $225,000. The comprehensive safety and health cases involved 58 serious violations and eight other-than-serious violations addressing unlabeled piping systems; obstructions in aisles and passageways; unguarded machinery; crane and hoist hazards; improper exits; electrical hazards; and exposures to chemicals, dust, and noise.
The SVEP program mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law. The program focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate violations.
Explosion Injures Three Workers, Fines Over $200,000 for Fox Valley Systems
OSHA cited the company for 26 safety violations, including two willful violations where locked doors impeded exit routes and snow blocked exits, slowing employees from exiting the plant quickly. OSHA proposed penalties of $262,000 and placed the aerosol paint manufacturer in its SVEP program.
Flammable vapors ignited in the production facility, resulting in an explosion and fire that caused extensive damage to the building and the interconnected aerosol-propellant charging rooms. Multiple violations of OSHA’s process safety management standards for facilities that use highly hazardous chemicals were found at the facility.
“In part, workers were injured in this tragic explosion because they could not get out quickly because of blocked exit doors. This is unacceptable for any business, and especially for one handling hazardous materials and chemicals daily,” said Nick Walters, regional administrator for OSHA in Chicago. “OSHA is committed to ensuring best work practices to prevent endangering the safety and health of workers.”
Fox Valley Systems, Inc., was cited for six willful violations. Two of the willful violations concerned exit doors locked from the outside and the failure to provide unobstructed exit routes. As an example, an employee with clothing on fire crawled beneath conveyor lines and past a pallet of materials that partially blocked the exit path to forcibly open an exit door latched shut from the outside and blocked by snow. Another willful violation involved workers operating propane-powered industrial trucks in the production area where such use was not approved.
The remaining four willful violations involve OSHA’s process safety management standards, including failure to develop and implement written, safe operating and mechanical integrity procedures; ensure that equipment complied with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices; and conduct inspections and tests on process equipment.
A total of 20 serious safety violations include inadequate storage of flammable liquids; various electrical equipment deficiencies; and additional violations of process safety management elements, including employee participation, process safety information, implementation of safe work practices, employee training, emergency action planning and alarm systems, process hazard analysis, and compliance audits. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
OSHA also conducted a separate and recent safety inspection in August of the company’s paint striping, cart manufacturing operation located within the same warehouse. The company was cited for 11 violations involving electrical equipment deficiencies; not implementing safe electrical work practices and not providing electrically rated personal protective equipment; omissions in chemical labeling; failure to develop a hazardous energy control program; forklift training deficiencies; and not having fall protection at a ladder hatchway providing access to the roof. Penalties in that case totaled $22,800.
Fox Valley Systems, Inc., employs approximately 23 workers.
Steam Boiler Burns Worker, Packaging Corporation of America Fined $185,560
The incident took place at the Tomahawk, Wisconsin, pulp and paper mill in March.
“Past explosions arising from similar hazards by this employer have led to tragic incidents. In this case, failing to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors and provide workers with appropriate personal protective equipment is another preventable misstep that has led to serious injuries,” said Robert Bonack, OSHA’s area director in Appleton. “Packaging Corporation of America must take its responsibility to identify the hazards that exist in its facilities seriously and take necessary precautions to prevent injuries and illnesses.”
In 2012, a steam and ash release triggered by fly ash at the Tomahawk plant fatally injured two contractors. In 2008, three workers were killed and another injured during an explosion in the storage area. The company employs 440 workers at the Tomahawk facility and 8,700 corporate-wide at facilities in 30 states. Forty-six violations have been cited nationwide in the past five years; the Tomahawk mill accounts for six of those violations, which stemmed from the 2008 incident, and one violation in 2012.
In this investigation, seven repeat safety violations include lack of machine guarding; not providing a suitable eyewash station for workers exposed to corrosive substances; electrical safety hazards, such as legibly marking circuit breakers; using compressed air at greater than 30 lb per square inch for cleaning purposes; and improperly labeling containers of hazardous materials. OSHA issues repeat violations if an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule, or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. The same violations have been cited at the company’s other US locations.
The company was cited for 17 serious safety violations including inadequate precautions to prevent ignition of flammable vapors and require usage of appropriate personal protective equipment to protect against burns; inadequate or lack of adequate guarding on wall openings, floor holes, and open-sided platforms; lack of machine guarding on various pieces of equipment, including planers, saws, and shafts; lack of machine warning lights; and improperly stored oxygen and gas cylinders.
Additionally, six other-than-serious citations were issued for poor housekeeping, not marking confined spaces with signage, failing to post load capacities of storage areas, not labeling web sling capacity, and failing to have individuals identified on lockout devices. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.
Based in Lake Forest, Illinois, Packaging Corporation of America manufactures paper and cardboard boxes.
Cleveland Manufacturer Fined Over $63,000 for Failing to Correct Violations
E.L. Mustee & Sons, Inc., has been cited by OSHA for five violations at its manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Ohio. Proposed fines total $63,490. The violations include a failure-to-abate violation for not developing an inspection program for mechanical power presses. In March 2012, a citation was issued for the same violation.
“E.L. Mustee & Sons has a responsibility to protect its workers, ensuring they are properly trained to prevent injuries from the unintentional operation of machinery. The company must ensure that equipment, such as mechanical power presses, is properly maintained,” said Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director in Cleveland. “Employers, who are cited for repeat and failure-to-abate violations, demonstrate a lack of commitment to worker safety and health.”
The March follow-up inspection found that the company failed to abate a violation cited in March 2012. The inspection found that the company failed to develop a program for regular and periodic inspections of power presses and to train workers to maintain the presses properly. In addition, the company did not provide OSHA with the required abatement documentation for the citations.
The follow-up inspection also found two repeat violations for failing to develop and implement a written confined space entry program and develop specific procedures for isolating and controlling hazardous energy. Similar violations were cited in March 2012.
The company was cited for two serious violations, including failing to develop written die-setting procedures for the company’s mechanical presses and to develop a written hazard communication program to provide workers with information and training about hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
E.L. Mustee & Sons, which operates three facilities in Cleveland, specializes in the manufacturing of Fiberglas bathroom shower stalls, bathtubs, floors, laundry tubs, and utility sinks.
Chicago Meat Processing Facility Fined $53,000 for Serious Safety Violations
Vienna Beef, Ltd., has been cited by OSHA for 10 serious safety violations with proposed fines of $53,000. The citations follow a May inspection at the Chicago meat processing facility initiated under OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting Program, which targets employers who record a higher-than-average injury and illness rate.
“The absence of machine guarding, deficient energy control procedures and lack of employer safety training creates an atmosphere in which workers are vulnerable to injury or even death,” said Diane Turek, OSHA’s area director for the Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines. “Employers, such as Vienna Beef, have a responsibility to evaluate workplaces for existing hazards to protect workers from injuries.”
The 10 serious safety violations include lack of energy control procedures, failing to train and evaluate powered industrial vehicle operators, lack of eye and face protection, not providing walking working surfaces that were in good repair, failing to conduct a workplace hazard assessment to identify possible safety issues, and improper use of flexible electrical cords. Additionally, the company was cited for violations that expose workers to amputation injuries, including failing to lockout and tagout equipment during maintenance to prevent unintentional operation, and lack of machine guarding on various machines, such as grinders, augers, and mixers.
The company, which was established in 1893, produces hot dogs, sausages, soups, and deli meats.
Steel Manufacturer Cited after Worker Electrocuted
OSHA has cited St. Louis Cold Drawn for 26 safety violations after a worker was electrocuted May 15 when he reached into an energized electrical panel box to retrieve work gloves stored in the box at the company’s St. Louis, Missouri, steel bar manufacturing facility.
“Allowing workers to be exposed to live electricity without enforcing electrical safe work practices is inexcusable,” said Bill McDonald, OSHA’s area director in St. Louis. “Employers, such as St. Louis Cold Drawn, have a responsibility to train workers in safe electrical work practices, such as recognizing unsafe conditions when exposed to hazards.”
As a result of the fatality inspection, OSHA cited 19 serious safety violations. Several relate directly to safe electrical work practices, such as exposing workers to live electricity, open grounding of electrical equipment, using electrical equipment in disrepair, failing to train workers who may be exposed to electrical shock on safe work practices and lockout procedures for equipment, and not providing personal protective equipment for workers exposed to the danger of electrical shock or arc flash.
Other serious violations included lack of machine-specific lockout procedures, no annual inspection of the lockout program, missing lockout devices, multiple instances of locks not being placed on machines to prevent unintentional energization and lack of machine guarding.
Seven other-than-serious violations were also cited for failing to keep accurate injury and illness records, lockout/tagout training documentation was not available for all employees, and the employer failed to maintain a list of hazardous chemicals used in the workplace.
OSHA has proposed fines of $51,800.
Total Building Services Fined Over $40,000 for Serious Safety and Health Violations
Total Building Services Group in Marietta, Georgia, has been cited by OSHA for 10 safety and health violations. OSHA opened an inspection in April under the agency’s Site-Specific Targeting Program, which directs enforcement resources to workplaces with higher-than-average rates of injuries and illnesses. Proposed penalties total $42,120.
Nine serious safety and health violations, with $41,900 in penalties, involve failing to train workers on the hazards associated with combustible dust, ensure that grounding and bonding was maintained on the ductwork and dust collector used to capture wood dust, train workers on the proper use of a fire extinguisher, provide appropriate eye protection for workers who wear prescription glasses, ensure hearing protection was worn, provide training for workers exposed to noise greater than the permissible exposure limit, identify permit-required confined spaces with signage, ensure proper explosion-proof lighting was used, and prevent exposure to slip hazards.
A $220 penalty for a repeat violation is being cited for failing to provide Appendix D, which contains information on respirator use, to workers who voluntarily wore dust masks and disposable respirators. The same violation was cited in April 2010.
“Employers should not wait for a catastrophic event or an OSHA inspection before they act to protect their workers from serious injuries or illnesses,” said Christi Griffin, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office.
Total Building Services Group provides turnkey framing services and architectural millwork to builders and clients.
Henkels & McCoy Inc. Exposes Workers to Safety Hazards
OSHA has cited Henkels & McCoy, Inc., operating from its Burlington, New Jersey, center, for six serious safety violations at a Neptune, New Jersey, work site, where workers were performing water service repair on a road. OSHA issued $42,000 in proposed penalties following an April inspection opened under the agency’s national emphasis program on trenches and local emphasis program on highways.
The violations include the company’s failure to have a competent person provide frequent and regular inspections of the job site, materials, and equipment; follow the required use of proper traffic control signs and devices that protect workers; place the required three advance warning signs to indicate highway space ahead undergoing work; follow the mandatory requirements and usage guidance for hand signaling devices; ensure workers conformed to hand signaling procedures; and properly set up a flagger station.
“Without the proper precautions, highway workers are vulnerable to a number of hazards from outside and inside the work zone, such as being struck by vehicles,” said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA’s New Jersey, Marlton Area Office. “It’s vital that the company quickly abate these violations to protect its workers in the future.”
Henkels & McCoy, Inc., headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, operates centers and offices nationwide and abroad.
Texas Drilling Company Exposes Workers to Heat Stress
OSHA has cited Heartland Drilling Inc., based in Abilene, Texas, for exposing workers to hazards associated with excessive heat. OSHA initiated its inspection after a worker, engaged in drilling operations on the rig floor of a drilling site in Big Spring, Texas, was overcome by the June heat and rushed to a hospital where he died.
“This tragedy underscores the need for employers to take proactive steps to keep workers safe in extreme heat,” said JoAnn Figueroa, OSHA’s area director in El Paso.
The serious violation was cited for exposing workers to hazards associated with excessive heat.
The proposed penalty totals $6,930.
Roofing Compliance Working Group Launched in California
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recently officially launched the Roofing Compliance Working Group to enforce safety and labor law standards in this key industry in California.
The Roofing Compliance Working Group (RCWG) is an arm of the Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF), a multi-agency effort to combat the underground economy and improve the state’s business environment. RCWG is a collaboration of state and local agencies as well as labor and management. The group’s objectives include rapid response to complaints of workplace health and safety hazards in the roofing industry, as well as investigation of complaints related to payroll, misclassification, and workers’ compensation issues.
“The roofing industry by nature comes with inherent risks, and we want to improve workplace safety for workers and help business owners who play by the rules to thrive,” said DIR Director Christine Baker.
Roofing related falls result in devastating injuries to workers and very high costs of workers’ compensation. According to data released by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, there were 367 roofing-related falls from scaffolds, ladders, elevations, and into openings such as skylights in California from 2008–2010. These preventable accidents resulted in total indemnity and medical costs of over $70 million.
The RCWG is comprised of representatives from the Labor Commissioner’s Office and Cal/OSHA (both divisions of DIR), as well as the Employment Development Department, the Contractor’s State Licensing Board, the State Compensation Insurance Fund, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, the San Francisco City and County District Attorney’s Office, UC Berkeley’s Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP), Associated Roofing Contractors, the Bay Area Roofers Labor-Management Trust, the San Francisco Roofers Labor-Management Trust, Roofers and Waterproofers Local 40, and Roofers and Waterproofers Local 81.
Cal/OSHA’s Consultation Unit, in conjunction with LOHP, plans to develop outreach and educational materials for roofing businesses and employees in order to ensure compliance and understanding of industry-specific workplace safety laws.
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