California Wildfire Safety and Checklist

California has reached the peak season for wildfire activity. Northern California’s Kincaid fire has burned an area more than twice the size of San Francisco. It is approximated that the Kincaid Fire has burned over 75,000 acres with a 15% containment. Southern California has also been affected with the Getty...

Lead Poisoning Prevention Week: October 20-26th, 2019

The week of October 20th to the 26th is the California Department of Health (CDPH)’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. This week is to further inform the general population about the dangers of Lead Poisoning and where it may be present in our daily lives. Lead exposure in adults is usually...

EPA’s April 2019 Final Rule on Asbestos

What is the Final Asbestos Rule? The EPA's April 2019 Final Asbestos Rule defines 19 other uses of asbestos to be banned in addition to the original 5 uses of asbestos banned in 1989. Asbestos manufacturers now must seek the approval of the EPA before trying to resume discontinued use...

AB 35 on the Governor’s Desk: How does this affect you?

AB 35 would require the State Department of Public Health (department) to consider a report from a laboratory of an employee’s blood lead level at or above 20 micrograms per deciliter to be injurious to the health of the employee and to report that case within 5 business days of...

CDPH LRC EXAM UPDATE

The CDC “level of concern” (10 µg/dL) has been updated in the CDPH exam to reflect the CDC “reference level” (currently 5 µg/dL) for lead in children’s blood. Although the BLL change and “reference level” had been changed several years ago, we are now seeing the update in the State...

Renovation of Chicago Post Office Leads to Lead Hazard Violations

In a December 2017 publication of an OSHA inspection, a Chicago Post Office engaging in renovations cited three Chicago companies involved with the work performed for failing to protect their employees from lead and cadmium exposure hazards. All three companies faced a total of 31 citations and a possible penalty...

Did you feel the Earthquake?

California has the highest amount of seismic activity among almost all the states. A recent 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit Northwest Westwood, California shaking many homes and workplaces.  Although the damage was minor, it was a surefire wake-up call on the emergency preparedness of our state. In 1906, a catastrophic earthquake...