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April 15, 2025
9:00 am - 3:45 pm
The California Workplace Safety Summit presented by Fisher Phillips is designed for safety, risk management and human resources professionals, and in-house counsel. Our OSHA attorneys and guest speakers will provide an in-depth analysis of the latest California workplace safety laws and Cal/OSHA and Federal OSHA enforcement trends, and offer compliance tips and guidance on managing workplace safety crises and Cal/OSHA investigations.
Light breakfast, lunch, and program materials will be provided.
Guest Speakers
Kate Crawford, Cal/OSHA Standards Board Member
Hassan Adan, Regional Manager, Division of Occupational Safety and Health
Helen Cleary, Founder and Leader of OSH Proterie
If you have any questions, please contact CASeminars@fisherphillips.com.
AGENDA
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Registration
9:00 – 9:10 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
9:10 – 9:40 a.m.
Cal/OSHA Enforcement
Hassan Adan, Regional Manager, Division of Occupational Safety and Health
9:40 – 10:30 a.m.
Perspective on California’s Legislative and Rulemaking Process and the Latest Workplace Safety Trends
Cal/OSHA Standards Board Member, Kate Crawford, Founder and Leader of OSH Proterie, Helen Cleary, and Ben Ebbink, moderated by Andrew Sommer
Our panelists will offer their perspective on the legislative and rulemaking process and how new workplace safety laws are expected to impact employers. This session will also include an overview of California’s significant pending and recently adopted workplace safety laws, including the Indoor Heat Illness Rule and Workplace Violence Prevention Law (including the draft Implementing regulation).
10:30 – 10:40 a.m.
Break
10:40 – 11:25 a.m.
Federal OSHA under the Trump Administration: Anticipated Initiatives and Inaction, and the Impact on the Golden State
Robin Repass and Kristin White
This session will cover the expected 2025 federal OSHA regulatory agenda, the status of any OSHA rulemaking carried over from the Biden Administration, and updates on the agency’s focus under the Trump Administration. This session will also cover any expected impact on Cal/OSHA state plan regulations, which must be at least as effective as their federal regulatory counterparts.
11:25 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Cal/OSHA Enforcement Trends
Warren Nelson, Ben Ebbink and Sophia Botti, moderated by Robin Repass
This session will cover the latest Cal/OSHA enforcement developments, including DOSH inspection priorities and enforcement statistics, and impacts from the regulatory adoption of SB 606 empowering DOSH to issue enterprise-wide citations and per instance penalties.
12:10 – 1:00 p.m.
Lunchtime – Networking
1:00 – 1:45 p.m.
A Cal/OSHA-Styled Easter Egg Hunt: Tips for Navigating a Cal/OSHA Investigation
Andrew Sommer
Cal/OSHA is one of the most enforcement heavy OSHA state plans and a hands-on approach to managing any Cal/OSHA inspection may be the key to the employer’s success in preventing or minimizing citations. This session walks through the Cal/OSHA inspection process and practical tips for employers in managing an inspection and interfacing with the enforcement agency. It will include case studies to test participants’ knowledge of the inspection process.
1:45 – 2:30 p.m.
Crisis Management: Essentials for Managing a Workplace Fatality or Other Major Safety Incident
Kristin White and Steve Alvarado
This session will address how to manage a workplace incident from start to finish, including creating an initial first hour response checklist. This session will also discuss the significance of Willful citations resulting from a workplace fatality, and how to respond to when the citations are referred for BOI investigation.
2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Break
2:45 – 3:30 p.m.
The Intersection of Cal/OSHA, and Wage and Hour, Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Claims
Harrison Thorne and Andrew Sommer
Liability for potential workplace safety violations does not end with Cal/OSHA. Wage and hour claims may be brought by employees, individually or collectively, based on workplace safety and health concerns. Also, an employee may bring a Serious and Willful workers’ compensation claim against an employer, and potentially third-party claims against other employers and product manufacturers. This session will cover the types of non-OSHA claims an employer may encounter based on a workplace safety incident.
3:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks