OSHA - 10 Major Differences between Federal OSHA and California OSHA Compliance and Enforcement

Why Should You Attend:

National and international corporations with plants and other establishments, like retail stores, in California need to be aware that compliance with federal OSHA standards is not sufficient in California, and that enforcement by Cal/OSHA is a more onerous experience compared to federal enforcement and other state plan enforcement. In addition, virtually every aspect of the inspection process is different, from how employers are targeted, to the definition of a serious violation and the penalties imposed for such offenses – up to $25,000 versus $7,000 in 49 other states.

This webinar covers the whys, how’s, and appropriate response to differences between federal and other state OSHA programs and California OSHA (Cal/OSHA). Corporations with employees in California should participate in this webinar to receive a concise and expertly-prepared presentation of the differences between federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA. Discussion will be done on the OSHA program: standards, enforcement procedures, penalties, and the appeals process.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

The following topics will be covered:

• Organization of Cal/OSHA versus federal OSHA;
• Differences in standards and California unique standards;
• Reduced Permissible Exposure Limits in California compared to Fed/OSHA;
• The California Injury and Illness Prevention Standard – the model for the future federal 12P2 Standard;
• How inspections are targeted;
• Differences in reporting occurrences of deaths or serious injuries;
• Differences in the definition of a serious violation – How Cal/OSHA serious violations are easier to prove, and just got easier with 2010 legislation;
• Differences in penalties between Fed/OSHA and Cal/OSHA;
• Difference between the Cal/OSHA and federal citation appeals process; and
• Felony criminal and other workplace accident liability and admissibility of Cal/OSHA standards in civil cases, which are issues rarely encountered in other jurisdictions.

Handout Materials:

Webinar will include various tables that summarize differences between Cal/OSHA and Fed/OSHA penalties and standards, as well as links to regulations/standards and sources of information.

Who Will Benefit:

Participants who will find this webinar particularly useful are

• Management, human resources, and safety personnel with responsibility for OSHA compliance in California, or with multi-state responsibility, which includes this state.
• Recent transfers to California in positions with safety oversight or responsibilities, this webinar is a “must attend.”
• The webinar is designed to be sufficiently basic that non-safety professionals and lawyers, like managers, HR personnel, facility managers, and others assigned to handle safety and health matters and OSHA inspections will benefit. Safety professionals, consultants, insurance loss control advisors, and attorneys not practicing OSHA law will find tricks of the trade and strategies revealed in the webinar useful.

Instructor Profile: