Newly Named Cal/OSHA Chief To Refocus On Serious Hazards, State Plan

Cal/OSHA can be expected to re-evaluate its approach to serious workplace hazards to target the agency's resources toward industries with the most “flagrant abuses and violations,” while also reviewing the state OSHA plan with an eye toward eventual full federal approval, Ellen Widess, the new appointee to head the agency, told Inside OSHA Online in an exclusive interview. Widess -- a former Cal/OSHA regulatory official who ran the state's pesticide program in the late 70s and early 80s -- also says she will work to address growing concerns about safety and health of the state's immigrant work