Cal/OSHA revises proposal
- The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently issued an order updating the definition of close contact under the Third Revised COVID Emergency Temporary Standard,
- The proposed standard removes the requirement that employees be masked for one of the exceptions to the definition of an exposed group to apply.
- Changes the definition of the returned case to shorten the applicable period from 90 days after an initial symptom onset/positive test to 30 days.
- Employees who have recovered from COVID-19 will be excluded from applicable COVID-19 testing requirements for a shorter period.
OSHA takes action after trenching deaths
- Reports show there have been 22 trenching deaths in the first half of this year.
- As a result, OSHA has made trench safety a national emphasis on inspections.
- The agency has enhanced enforcement initiatives with the goal of protecting workers from known hazards. Industry professional associations support the move.
- OSHA called on all employers engaged in trenching and excavation activities to act immediately “to ensure that required protections are fully in place every single time their employees step down into or work near a trench.”
OSHA plans meeting to discuss latest issues
- OSHA’s Federal Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health will meet on Nov. 17, according to a notice published in the Federal Register.
- The tentative agenda includes updates from the agency’s leadership issues and its national emphasis program on preventing heat illnesses and injuries.
- OSHA’s Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health also will meet on Nov. 17.
- The MACOSH Shipyard and Longshoring work groups will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 16.
A SpaceX fined after worker in coma
- A SpaceX technician suffered a head injury that placed him in a coma for two months, accorded to OSHA.
- The technician was working at the company’s factory in Hawthorne, Calif., when a fuel controller cover broke free and he suffered the injury.
- The technician was taken to an area hospital with a skull fracture and head trauma.
- SpaceX was fined $18,475 by OSHA for safety violations.