The Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the California Department of Industrial Relations (Cal/OSHA) has announced citations “…for not protecting employees from COVID-19 exposure during inspections of industries where workers have an elevated risk of exposure.”  The cited employers are in food processing, meat packing, health care, agriculture, and retail.  According to Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker, “these are industries where workers have been disproportionately affected, and these citations are the first of many to be issued in the coming weeks and months.”

The proposed penalties associated with the cited violations range from $2025 to $51,190.  The agency noted that some of the COVID-19 citations were associated with citations for heat illness violations, consistent with prior warnings that outdoor employers should take special care to furnish sufficient shade to allow for COVID-19-related social distancing.

As noted in “Cal/OSHA is Enforcing Guidance,” from the August 2020 FELS Newsletter, the agency is citing failure on the part of employers to implement it’s industry-specific guidance, particularly   Safety and Health Guidance: COVID-19 Infection Prevention for Agricultural Employers and Employees as part of implementation of the Injury and Illness Prevention Plan regulation, GISO (General Industry Safety Order) 3203

You can find more information on COVID-19 safety and compliance on FELS’ website at “COVID-19 News and Resources for Farm Employers. You can find Heat Illness Prevention Standard (GISO 3395) compliance information on FELS’ website at Heat Illness Prevention (HIP) Standard Compliance Resources from FELS.

Questions? Comments? Please contact us at 800-753-9073 or email us at info@fels.net