Cal/OSHA staff have created a hostile relationship with the business community, according to several commenters at a recent hearing of the agency’s governing board.
As California's workplace safety regulator, the division has been drafting an indoor heat illness standard. Within a day of the comment period closing, staff declared there will be no further amendments to the proposal. Michael Miiller, government relations director at the California Association of Winegrape Growers, said that statement was made before reviewing all the comments. It indicates staff are not taking the feedback seriously, added California Farm Bureau Labor Affairs Director Bryan Little.
Staff have also said such regulations are too lengthy and complex to review line-by-line with stakeholders.
“This is about legitimate concerns not being reviewed or considered and no explanation of why,” said Miiller.
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Cal/OSHA staff further claimed the process for advisory committees is broken because nearly all attendees are employers. Miiller countered that workers and labor unions are “very much involved” in the process and argued that such sentiment has led many organizations to believe Cal/OSHA makes no attempt to collaborate with industry to improve rulemaking.
Helen Cleary, director of the Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable, left one meeting feeling “frustrated, disappointed, angry and truly disheartened.”
“I have never in my career felt such a lack of trust or disregard,” said Cleary. “Why do I spend hours drafting written comments that nobody seems to read?”
She was also frustrated stakeholders have just two minutes to comment at meetings. Staff often reprimand commenters for speaking too quickly for the board’s translator as well.
