BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2146|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2146
Author: Skinner (D), et al.
Amended: 8/18/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE LABOR & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 6/25/14
AYES: Hueso, Wyland, Leno, Padilla, Mitchell
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 8/14/14
AYES: De Le�n, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters, Gaines
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 5/27/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Occupational safety: firefighters
SOURCE : California Professional Firefighters
DIGEST : This bill requires continuous review of standards for
firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE) by requiring
that the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board
(Standards Board) follow specified tasks.
ANALYSIS : The California Occupational Safety and Health Act
of 1973 was enacted to ensure safe and healthful working
conditions for all California workers by, among other things,
authorizing the enforcement of effective standards as well as
assisting and encouraging employers to maintain safe and
healthful working conditions. The Division of Occupational
Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), within the Department of
CONTINUED
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Industrial Relations (DIR), is charged with enforcing
occupational health and safety laws, orders, and standards,
including the investigation of alleged violations of those
provisions. The Standards Board, also within DIR, is the entity
tasked with promoting, adopting and maintaining reasonable and
enforceable standards that ensure a safe and healthful workplace
for California workers.
Existing law establishes standards for the minimum requirements
of personal protective clothing and equipment for firefighters
when exposed to the hazards of firefighting activities and
training activities involving a hazardous environment.
Employers are responsible for ensuring availability,
maintenance, and use of all protective equipment in accordance
with specified orders.
This bill:
1.Requires the Standards Board, to complete a comprehensive
review of existing regulations for personal protective
equipment for firefighters, by January 1, 2016, and every five
years thereafter, to determine if the new NFPA standards
provide a greater degree of protection to a firefighter.
2.Provides that if the Standards Board determines that new NFPA
standards adopted provide a greater degree of protection, it
shall consider modifying existing regulations to reflect the
NFPA standards as a new safety standard for all employers of
firefighters in California.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
DIR states that this bill will result in annual costs of under
$28.000 (special fund).
Significant state and local cost pressure, potentially in the
millions of dollars, should DIR determine existing regulations
need to be updated. If the regulations are found to
constitute a new program or higher level of service, possible
state mandated reimbursable costs could result.
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SUPPORT : (Verified 8/18/14)
California Professional Firefighters (source)
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
California Nurses Association
California State Association of Electrical Workers
California State Firefighters' Association
California State Pipe Trades Council
Western State Council if Sheet Metal Workers
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, whether
mitigating a fire, emergency medical situation, hazardous
materials incident or terrorist attack, a firefighter's only
means of protection is his/her PPE. The PPE worn by
firefighters is intended to provide protection from the harmful
and often deadly outside environment. The author argues,
unfortunately, some of the standards governing this equipment
have not been updated for many years. Meanwhile, proponents
argue, technological advances have brought to market many safer
and more effective alternatives for firefighter PPE.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 451,500
non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses in California
reported in 2012. Proponents argue that such workplace injuries
and illnesses cause an enormous amount of physical, financial
and emotional hardship for workers and their families.
According to proponents, Cal/OSHA is responsible for the
protection of workers from job-related health and safety hazards
in almost every workplace in California, including firefighters,
by using research to create and enforce standards that keep
workers safe. Therefore, proponents argue, requiring that the
Standards Board review existing regulations for firefighter PPE
will help ensure that our workers are wearing the most
protective gear available to ensure their safety.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 5/27/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon,
Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez,
Holden, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal,
Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
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Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Perea, John A. P�rez, V.
Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas,
Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski,
Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Patterson, Quirk-Silva, Vacancy
PQ/RM:e 8/18/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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