News
KN95 respirators vs. N95 respirators
Due to the shortage of N95 respirators for healthcare workers and first responders, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has authorized the use of KN95 masks in place of N95 masks for the response to COVID19. A N95 and KN95 respirator are filtering facepiece respirator. A filtering facepiece respirator is a negative pressure particulate respirator...
Fit testing N95 Disposable Respirators
Our office has received numerous calls from healthcare facilities including dental offices and other employers, requesting fit testing of disposable N95 respirators in light of the COVID pandemic. We have instructed the callers that according to Cal/OSHA 8CCR5144, that if respirator use is required, the employer must: Have a written respiratory protection program; Ensure that...
New California State Law on COVID AB685
On September 17, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 685 (AB 685) into law which becomes effective on January 1, 2021. This bill amends current regulations and requires that employers comply with tougher COVID-19 reporting policies when it comes to employees, subcontractors and also local health authorities for “outbreak” tracking purposes. AB 685 has...
Update on the Emergency Wildfire Smoke Regulation
On July 29, 2019, Cal/OSHA's emergency regulation to protect workers from wildfire smoke went into effect. The Cal/OSHA Standards Board determined that the airborne smoke from wildfires poses a significant hazard to outdoor workers. California Code of Regulations, Title 8, section 5141.1 applies to most outdoor workplaces where the current Air Quality Index (current AQI)...