A Cal/OSHA board hearing last month erupted in chaos after the Newsom administration rejected the agency’s costly proposal for indoor heat protections. Board chair Dave Thomas called the move bullshit and, when protestors shut down the hearing, he pointed the gavel at them and shouted, “Stop this shit.” Thomas adjourned the hearing, then reopened it and voted on the defunct proposal.
The agency later edited Thomas' outburst and move to adjourn out of a recording of the hearing posted on the website.
At Thursday’s hearing, business interests reacted to the surprising actions. Helen Cleary, director of the Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable, had already shared frustrations in January over the agency’s contempt for employers. She said the March hearing showed a “broad lack of understanding, transparency and even respect for the rulemaking process.” Cleary pressed for answers on how the board can vote on a regulation that it already pulled from the agenda and asked how it can knowingly push through an incomplete rulemaking package.
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CalChamber policy advocate Rob Moutrie called it troubling and insulting that labor interests continue to blame employers for the administration’s decision, alleging a backroom deal.
Bryan Little of the California Farm Bureau was frustrated that employers had shared the same fiscal concerns as the administration and the board never acted on them.
“If the process isn't fixed,” warned Michael Miiller of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, “we feel that what happened last month could very well become the norm.”
Before closing the hearing, a somber Thomas apologized for “being a real asshole” and referred to himself as a cranky 66-year-old.
The agency plans to revise the rulemaking package with exemptions for corrections facilities and to expedite a vote on it before summer heat waves kick in.
