On Sept. 27, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 606, which expands enforcement power for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (which is known as Cal/OSHA). We’ve gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other outlets.

Substantial Changes

The new law, which is expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022, creates a rebuttable presumption that employers with multiple worksites have made enterprise-wide workplace safety violations in certain circumstances. An employer with a violation at one worksite may be presumed to have similar violations at other worksites. The law also will allow Cal/OSHA to issue a citation to an “egregious” employer for each willful violation. SB 606 will “require each instance of an employee exposed to that violation to be considered a separate violation for purposes of the issuance of fines and penalties,” according to the bill. The bill will also provide Cal/OSHA with additional subpoena power during investigations.

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View original article here: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/newsom-signs-bill-expanding-calosha-enforcement-power.aspx