State Laws

What are the characteristics of an effective safety committee? Safety pros and other experts weigh in on creating and maintaining an engaged, productive and enthusiastic group.

Phoenix – OSHA’s threat to take away Arizona’s oversight of construction safety – prompted by alleged inadequacies in the state’s fall protection standard – is unnecessary in light of recently passed legislation, an attorney representing the state said in a May 1 letter to the federal agency.

New York – New York state should amend its workers’ compensation regulation to require all private-sector employers to implement workplace safety and loss prevention programs, watchdog group Public Citizen stated in a report released May 6.

Could a law intended to help protect workers actually be putting them in danger? A recent study of New York state's "Scaffold Law" suggests as much, but the law's supporters are crying foul and say the study's methodology is flawed.

Sacramento, CA – Days after two nurses were stabbed at two separate Los Angeles-area hospitals, a California Senate committee has passed a bill intended to better protect hospital and health care workers from work-related violence.

New York – A recent study that questioned the usefulness of New York state’s “Scaffold Law” is flawed, according to a new report from a worker safety advocacy coalition.

San Francisco – California on Oct. 31 adopted “comprehensive” safety rules for roadway workers who perform maintenance and repairs on or near rail transit tracks.

Washington – Current laws fail to protect workers from retaliation for reporting their employer for health and safety hazards, concludes a new report from the Center for Effective Government.

Brooklyn, NY – Latino and immigrant workers are disproportionately killed in falls at construction sites in New York state, according to a new report from the advocacy group Center for Popular Democracy.

Sacramento, CA – California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) recently signed into law three bills related to workplace safety, but vetoed one proposal.