The top 3 reasons employers received citations and penalties from Cal/OSHA in 2014 involved not having adequate written safety plans or heat illness prevention plans. In fact, just these 3 areas, Illness & Injury Prevention plans for general employers and construction employers and Heat Illness Prevention plans for those with employees who work out of doors involved 30 % of all the 15,000 citation issued by Cal/OSHA last year.
Other frequently cited violations included: failure to have adequate lock out/tag out plans for employees performing maintance on equipment; failure to report serious injuries or work related deaths to Cal/OSHA within 8 hours; and violations of respirator program due to airborne contaminants or violations of the hazard communications program relating to exposure to hazardous chemicals.
All employers, even with only 1 employee, are required to have an effective written safety plan known as an Injury and Illness Prevention Program. It is clear from Cal/OSHA activity that many employers need to catch up the requirements of this law for almost 38 years now. The requirements regarding a written heat illness plan for any employer with even 1 employee working out of doors have been in place for 10 years now, but significantly strengthened just this past May 1, 2015.
Any employer needing assistance with compliance with Cal/OSHA to with questions about Cal/OSHA or help with a citation from Cal/OSHA can contact Don Dressler Consulting at dondressler1@hotmail.com
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