GSBE Business Update 10/09/2020
CalOSHA Releases Temporary Guidance for Supplying N95 Masks During Wildfire Smoke
The regs apply when AQI is greater than 150 due to wildfire smoke. While not in compliance with the standard, these temporary regs will be considered a “good faith effort” to comply, and following them will not subject the employer to a citation if compliant respirators are not obtainable. See regs here (or attached). All employers must continue efforts to obtain a sufficient supply of NIOSH-certified respirators (e.g., N95 respirators) through private and commercial supply chains. To assist employers in identifying available supply, Cal/OSHA is maintaining a list of vendors (updated 10/05/2020) who have represented they have at least 100,000 NIOSH-certified disposable N95 respirators in stock and available for delivery.
Local Leaders Urge Gov to Reopen By Zip Code
Asm. Kiley, Senator Dahle, Folsom Mayor Sarah Aquino & Sac County Supervisor Sue Frost have singed a letter (please see attached) to Gov Newsom & Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly asking them to update the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy.” The four ask to allow county health departments to authorize the reopening of communities by zip code. “There is no scientific reason why our state cannot allow low risk areas within counties to reopen their economies and restore the livelihoods of their residents,” Kiley said, citing the City of Folsom as an example: “The City of Folsom sits in the Northeast corner of Sacramento County and borders El Dorado Hills in El Dorado County. Both communities have similar rates of COVID-19 and are separated by a single freeway exit. And yet, Folsom is deemed higher risk by our state’s system. Its business community is forced to comply with more restrictions and its schools have not been able to reopen on the same timeline. Just one week ago Sacramento County was under the Purple Tier, while El Dorado County was given permission to advance to the Orange Tier. This disparity is the result of a reopening framework that ignores the similarities between contiguous communities like Folsom and El Dorado Hills, and instead opts to base these critical decisions on arbitrary county lines.”
2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards
The California Energy Commission updates the Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Parts 6 and 11) every three years by working with stakeholders in a public and transparent process. The 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) will modify the 2019 Energy Code for new construction of, and additions and alterations to, residential and nonresidential buildings. A staff workshops was held Tuesday, October 6, where PV and energy storage concepts were presented, along with revisions and to obtain public comment. SRBX staff expressed concerns over adequate workforce development programs meeting enrollment to meet the needs of the proposed all electrification being proposed (C-10 & C-46). Written public comments are due by October 20. In addition, on October 13, CEC staff will discuss Multifamily Hot water Boilers and Restructuring with public comments due by October 27. Proposed standards will be adopted in 2021 with an effective date of January 1, 2023.
OSHA: Employers have 8 hours to report work-related COVID-19 deaths
The agency revised earlier guidelines detailing reporting requirements. FAQs related to reporting here. Read more here.
California Will Keep Burning. But Housing Policy Is Making It Worse.
There are ways to keep people and homes safer from wildfires. Then, there’s what California does. Read more here.