State Laws

Seattle — The owner of a West Seattle construction company has been sentenced to 45 days in jail for his role in a fatal trench collapse, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is seeking public comment on proposed rules that would increase worker protections against extreme heat and wildfire smoke, calling them “the strongest such protections in the nation.”

Sacramento, CA — A new initiative spearheaded by a California Department of Industrial Relations task force is aimed at ensuring employers on publicly funded construction sites are following labor laws and providing workers’ compensation insurance.

Olympia, WA — Legislation that would restore Washington state regulations requiring employers to establish practices intended to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders was approved by the state House on Feb. 15.

Sacramento, CA — Aiming to protect physicians and injured workers from exposure to COVID-19, the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Workers’ Compensation has adopted an emergency regulation that allows medical-legal evaluations to be performed via telehealth.

Oakland, CA — The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is requesting nominations for members to serve on its recently established advisory committee focused on the safety and health of household domestic service workers.

Albany, NY — The New York State Department of Labor has scheduled a virtual public hearing on a proposed rule that would establish rules and regulations for workplace safety committees.

Sacramento, CA — Additional revisions to California’s emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 have been adopted by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, to include the California Department of Public Health’s latest recommendations for reducing the spread of the disease.

New York — More than six months after New York legalized recreational use of marijuana, the state’s department of labor has published a guidance document intended to help employers navigate the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act.

Springfield, IL — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has signed into law a bill that amends the state’s Health Care Right of Conscience Act to clarify that it isn’t a violation to implement workplace measures intended to prevent the spread of deadly communicable diseases such as COVID-19.