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Cal/OSHA, federally approved in 1973, has set standards on California’s occupational safety and health. Cal/OSHA requirements can be separated into the distinct sections of record keeping, plan for illness and injury (formally the Illness and Injury Prevention Programme), the inspection process and citations. Keeping records and implementing an Injury and Illness Prevention Programme can save companies from costly errors in the future. Managers have the opportunity to work with Cal/OSHA representatives during inspections to promote a positive work environment. Citations will help managers better understand work place health and safety, though penalties prove to be expensive mistakes that managers can easily avoid. Posting Cal/OSHA requirements in every department and taking it step‐by‐step will increase the clarity of work place safety.

Neither capture theory, nor neo‐conservative theory and technical failure arguments adequately account for the behaviour of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) during the 1970s. A framework drawn from organisation theory suggests that regulatory failure is due to a crisis of compliance resources caused by a flawed legislative mandate. Lacking effective compliance mechanisms, regulatory agencies are forced into a bargaining posture rather than an enforcement stance towards industry. This leads to creation of de facto policy which diverges substantially from the original legislative mandate, and this is read as evidence for regulation failure.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. government ensures that all health and safety regulations, protecting the workers, are enforced. OSHA officers conduct inspections and assess fines for non-compliance and regulatory violations. Literature discussion on the economic impact of OSHA inspections with COVID-19 related citations for the construction sector is lacking. This study aims to investigate the relationships between the number of COVID-19 cases, construction employment and OSHA citations and it further evaluates the total and monthly predicted cost impact of OSHA citations associated with COVID-19 violations.

An application of multiple regression analysis, a supervised machine learning linear regression model, based on K-fold cross validation sampling and a probabilistic risk-based cost estimate Monte Carlo simulation were utilized to evaluate the data. The data were collected from numerous websites including OSHA, Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

The results show that as the monthly construction employment increased, there was a decrease in OSHA citations. Conversely, the cost impact of OSHA citations had a positive relationship with the number of COVID-19 cases. In addition, the monthly cost impact of OSHA COVID-19 related citations along with the total cost impact of citations were predicted and analyzed.

The application of the two models on cost analysis provides a thorough comparison of predicted and overall cost impact, which can assist the contractors to better understand the possible cost ramifications. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the contractors include contingency fees within their contracts, hire safety managers to implement specific safety protocols related to COVID-19 and request a safety action plan when qualifying their subcontractors to avoid potential fines and citations.

Briefly describes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a success before presenting a case for its reform. Outlines the initiatives such a new OSHA should possess including working in partnership, focused inspections and employee participation. Cites the need for the application of streamlined, common sense regulations and flexibility. Suggests methods which such an administration could employ to ensure continued success.

Outlines the requirements of the Californian Occupational Safety and Health Act 1973 with particular reference to the updates, additions and reforms. Covers areas such as illness and injury prevention programme, budget constraints, workplace violence, ergonomics and smoking and ventilation. Looks at the plans for a new OSHA and concludes that this area will always be subject to change as attempts are made to keep pace with new hazards.

Outlines the current situation with regard to protection of workers in the workplace in the USA. Discusses the reforms that are currently being discussed in the new congress. Gives details of the proposed new OSHAA industry wide ergonomics standard covering purpose, scope identification and training. Looks at the importance of ergonomics in the workplace in minimizing musculoskeletal disorders. Considers ergonomics compliance with Federal OHSA and concludes that if these proposals are introduced, it would mean sweeping changes with employers forced to review and evaluate almost every job undertaken within a company.

The purpose of this paper is to address a deficiency in the literature by exploring the impact of negative workplace safety announcements on firm performance. The authors analyze the issue from a corporate social responsibility perspective and explore ways supply chain managers can contribute to improve firm performance through the development of safe working environments.

Utilizing a sample of 227 negative workplace safety announcements, this paper explores the implications of negative workplace safety announcements on the stock price of a firm using event study methodology.

The authors find that negative workplace announcements are associated with an abnormal decrease in shareholder value. Furthermore, the authors find evidence that negative workplace safety announcements have a more pronounced negative effect on firm value in the present environment than in any previous time period.

Operations managers need to play leading roles in ensuring safe working environments. The results provide the support needed to acquire the financial resources necessary to mitigate exposure to unsafe working conditions.

This study explores the impact of negative workplace safety announcements on a firm’s stock performance. It is the first large-scale study to look at public announcements of workplace incidents and to explore the impact of such announcements in the context of time.

Facilities managers are fast becoming the legal‐compliance experts for their organizations. Highlights the various US Government agencies and regulatory acts affecting organizations. Looks at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration′s (OSHA′s) intended ergonomic standard for industry in all areas of facilities. Much like the facilities manager′s job, the ergonomic mandate will span from the boiler room to the boardroom. It is concerned with adapting job routines to prevent occupational illness, injury and disease. Employers who do not address ergonomic hazards in the workplace will lay themselves open to massive Workers′ Compensation claims. States that now is the time to establish an ergonomically‐sound workplace and outlines the main elements of a facilities manager′s ergonomic‐compliance plan.

With proper design and work planning, falls through fragile skylights are preventable. Skylights pose a hazard to workers when their work tasks for operations, maintenance and repair require them to be on roofs. The National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety produced guidelines and special alerts to address the dangers that are present around skylights, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations have prescriptive requirements for work performed around skylights, and yet incidents still occur. The purpose of this study is to investigate and raise awareness for the causality of the incidents involving skylights in the USA.

The authors investigated and analyzed 204 incidents involving skylights recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to characterize their nature and to determine any correlation with the roof environment or the nature of the work performed. Using Google Earth and Google Maps roof geometry, proximity of skylights to roof edge and rooftop mechanical equipment was determined.

The majority of falls through skylights occur during roof maintenance and repair activities. Falls through skylights are underreported. Because of a general lack of good design to reduce or eliminate the risk of falling through skylights, facility managers carry the burden to properly assess work and access on roofs where fragile skylights are present.

The phenomenon of falling through skylights was made aware on a national level in the USA in 1989; however, little has been done from a design and planning perspective to reduce these incidents. This paper presents a unique perspective on the role of facility managers in understanding the hazards associated with roof maintenance near skylights.

This article explores the growing rise of behaviour‐based safety programmes in the workplace as a means of preventing on‐the‐job injuries. In it, the authors delve into the history of both incentive‐based and behaviour based safety programmes, exploring the administrative, political, and practical issues involved with each. The authors then present an analysis of a survey conducted of over a hundred practicing safety executives in the United States. While no significant differences were found between survey respondents based on the size or nature of their organisation, the authors did find that tenure on the job was positively correlated with increased receptiveness to the efficacy of behaviour‐based programmes. In the end, it was concluded that success with both behaviour‐based and incentive‐based safety efforts are dependent on top management’s support of such efforts, both through personal involvement and example setting and through provision of the necessary organisational resources to promote workplace safety.