Industry Insights
| CAAA: Fireworks Warehouse Blast Exposes Flaws in Safety, Oversight, Accountability | 07/16/2025 | ||
| By: CAAA Communications Team | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| Four days after a massive explosion engulfed an Esparto fireworks storage facility operated by Devastating Pyrotechnics, rescue workers finally began sifting through the rubble in search of seven workers missing since the blast. The fiery disaster that ignited a 78-acre blaze and left beh...Read More | |||
| CAAA: Left in the Smoke | 05/28/2025 | ||
| By: CAAA Communications Team | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| A new study from the University of California, Davis, is raising urgent questions about whether California’s current air quality standards adequately protect the state’s farmworkers from w...Read More | |||
| CAAA: Fraud in the Workers' Comp System | 04/23/2025 | ||
| By: CAAA Communications Team | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| Two recent criminal cases out of Southern California spotlight the ongoing problem of employer workers’ compensation premium fraud and the harm it causes to both injured workers and law-abiding businesses. In San Diego County, the owner of GPS Plumbing pleaded guilty to underreporti...Read More | |||
| CAAA: The Dismantling of NIOSH | 04/16/2025 | ||
| By: CAAA Communications Team | |||
| State: CA | Segment: NATIONAL | 0 | |||
| The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a small but critical federal agency entrusted with protecting worker health and safety, is facing disastrous layoffs due to sweeping federal staffing cuts. Up to 1,000 employees are being laid off from the agency, including its di...Read More | |||
| CAAA: Proposed Guideline Would Ban Cannabis for Injury Treatment | 02/19/2025 | ||
| By: CAAA Communications Team | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| The California Division of Workers’ Compensation introduced new treatment guidelines that would prevent cannabis from being prescribed for pain management through the state’s Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule. The new guidelines, released late last month, align with ...Read More | |||
| CAAA: New Silica Regulation Signals Increased Protection for Workers | 01/29/2025 | ||
| By: CAAA Communications Team | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| Last month, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board approved permanent amendments to its regulation regarding occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS). This decision marks a critical step toward combating the rising epidemic of silicosis, an irreversible and fatal, but preventabl...Read More | |||
| CAAA: Newsom Misses Chance to Protect Farmworkers | 10/09/2024 | ||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 1299, legislation that sought to bolster protections for farmworkers laboring under extreme heat conditions. Authored by Democratic Sen. Dave Cortese with help from CAAA Executive Director Diane Worley and Legislative Committee chair Jason Ma...Read More | |||
| CAAA: Farmworker Heat Presumption Heads to Floor Vote | 08/27/2024 | ||
| By: California Applicants' Attorneys Association | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| California Senate Bill 1299, a critical piece of legislation aimed at protecting farmworkers from the dangers of extreme heat, has successfully passed through the Assembly Appropriations Committee, the final significant obstacle before heading to the Assembly floor. With strong suppo...Read More | |||
| CAAA: Major Corruption Engulfs Cal/OSHA | 08/20/2024 | ||
| By: California Applicants' Attorneys Association | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| Cal/OSHA, the California agency responsible for enforcing workplace standards, has faced significant challenges with corruption within its ranks. In 2018, Richard Fazlollahi, a district manager for Cal/OSHA's Santa Ana office, was arrested and later convicted for his role in a bribery...Read More | |||
| CAAA: A Victory for App-Based Companies; a Loss for App-Based Workers | 08/06/2024 | ||
| By: CAAA Communications Team | |||
| State: CA | Segment: WEST | 0 | |||
| On July 25, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 22, allowing companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to classify their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. This ruling in Hector Castellanos v. State of California was not unexpected, as observers of the...Read More | |||
