As electricians, we understand that there is an inherent risk associated with performing our daily job duties. Aside from the many other non-electrical-related risk exposures that we face on the job site, such as the potential for falls and work being performed in confined spaces, there are two distinct electrical-related hazards that electricians face: electric shock and arc flash incidents. While many — dare I say most — electricians have experienced an electric shock on some level, few have experienced an arc flash either directly themselves or indirectly through a coworker. In fairness, many may not even know what an arc flash is, let alone how to limit their exposure to one.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has traditionally been associated with workplace safety complaints. However, California also has the unique Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which serves as a general vehicle for reporting labor law violations. Employers and employees alike may wonder how and if Cal/OSHA and PAGA intersect when it comes to workplace safety violations. 

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has clarified its guidance on preventing lead exposure among workers who perform dry abrasive blasting.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it has updated the inspection program that directs agency enforcement resources to establishments with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses based on injury and illness data submitted in accordance with OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements.

As temperatures in California are rising, Cal/OSHA, a division of the Department of Industrial Relations, is reminding employers of the requirement to protect their workers at indoor and outdoor worksites from heat illness. Heat illness is dangerous and can be deadly.

Cal/OSHA has issued updated guidance clarifying how construction employers must protect workers performing dry abrasive blasting under California’s recently amended lead standards.

The National Association of Manufacturers is calling on OSHA to rescind the agency’s rule on worker walkaround representation, as well as reconsider a proposed heat rule and “allow for further input from affected industry stakeholders.”

With President Donald Trump now in his second term, several changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are anticipated based on his previous administration’s approach, current policy signals, and the broader deregulatory agenda he has championed. Here’s what we expect.

It’s fair to say that U.S. workplace protection efforts are in disarray, with renewed Republican pressure to disband the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and OSHA’s own efforts to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI orders. The latter led to the agency’s public flub after key documents were taken offline simply because they used newly forbidden keywords.