As temperatures rise and wildfire season intensifies across the Pacific Northwest, Washington State employers must remain alert – for the safety of their workforce and to follow state law. The Washington State Department of...more
7/29/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Heat Exposure ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
California lawmakers have proposed new legislation to reshape the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. While this bill aims to protect workers, employers have expressed concerns about how it might...more
5/22/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automated Decision Systems (ADS) ,
California ,
Employee Rights ,
Enforcement ,
New Legislation ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Transparency ,
Workplace Safety
For businesses operating across multiple states, the complexities of workplace safety compliance can be daunting, particularly when laws and standards may vary by location. This issue is especially impactful in the dynamic...more
In light of the ongoing and devastating fires in Los Angeles County, Cal/OSHA released new guidance to ensure the safety and health of workers involved in fire damage cleanup. Of note, Cal/OSHA’s standards may apply to some...more
1/28/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
New Guidance ,
NIOSH ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
Cal/OSHA regulates employee safety at places of employment. Historically, household domestic services were excluded from the definition of a “place of employment” and therefore Cal/OSHA’s jurisdiction. With a swish of his...more
As Golden State employers know, a new workplace violence prevention law for non-healthcare employers went into effect on July 1, 2024. Cal/OSHA, the agency charged with overseeing workplace safety and health, has been...more
On June 20, 2024, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) unanimously adopted a new standard for Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment. A prior attempt to pass the regulation...more
California has enacted the country’s first general industry workplace violence prevention safety law. The law takes effect on July 1, 2024, and imposes requirements on nearly all California employers, including retail...more
Last year, California’s Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 553, which requires most employers to establish, implement, and maintain an effective Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). The law is enforceable on July 1, 2024....more
California employers take note: the non-emergency version of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention regulations are now in effect.
At the end of 2022, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to adopt the COVID-19 Prevention...more
Previously, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) had redefined “close contact’ as someone sharing the same indoor airspace with a person who had COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a...more
California employers are required to post their annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses, including COVID-19 illness, in a visible and easily accessible area at every worksite from February 1st through April...more
At the end of 2020, it seemed the legislature, the courts, and even California voters wanted to move away from the independent contractor test codified in Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5). However, during 2021, the pendulum seems to...more
In November 2020, Cal OSHA passed the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). Currently, the Standards are set to expire on October 2, 2021.
As outlined in prior articles, the ETS require that employers:...more
On January 10, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California heard oral arguments on whether the court should enter a preliminary injunction preventing the State of California (State) from enforcing AB...more