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Workplace Safety Q&As

• Can I give aspirin to employees who ask for it?
• How does the Cal/OSHA Standards Board choose rulemaking items and how can I affect the adoption process?
• Can I ask a candidate about smoking during a job interview?
• Do I have to allow my employee to bring his gun to work if he has a concealed carry permit?
• What can an employer do when an employee comes back from breaks reeking of cigarette smoke?
• Are any businesses excused from the ban on smoking in the workplace?
• What is the law in California about smoking in the workplace?
• When do the formal requirements to prevent repetitive motion injuries (RMIs) in the workplace apply?
• There are only three employees in my business. If everyone agrees, may we smoke?
• As an employer, what am I required to provide in the way of medical services and first aid?
• I employ fewer than 10 employees. Am I required to have a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program?
• May I conduct employee safety training in English only?
• Are all employees who have been exposed to hepatitis B required to be vaccinated?
• Do I have to perform inspections related to repetitive motion injuries?
• Do I have to provide personal protective equipment?
• Do I have to provide training to deal with repetitive motion injuries?
• Must I post the Log 300 at every work site?
• What are the posting requirements for industrial truck users?
• My office is equipped with a window exhaust fan. May I smoke in my office?
• When do I post the Cal/OSHA Log 300?
• Do I have to report an employee died of a heart attack while at work to Cal/OSHA?
• Our warehouse has large roll-up doors that usually are kept open. May we smoke there?
• What can I do to protect my employees from the effects of working in high temperatures?
• Do we need to give an employee protected time off to enter a substance abuse recovery program?
• How does the regulation for musculoskeletal injury prevention affect my small motel and bed and breakfast?
• Do I have to record and/or report anything related to repetitive motion injuries?
• What am I required to do with regard to ergonomics?
• What are the requirements of the Cal/OSHA regulations on aerosol transmissible disease hazards for employees working with infected live animals?
• Do I need a respiratory plan for intermittent respirator use?
• Can we provide portable toilet facilities if the water is going to be off at the workplace for an extended length of time?
• Do I need to be certified as a drug-free workplace?
• Which companies are exempt from the Cal/OSHA Log 300 recordkeeping requirements?
• Is my company required to post the Form 300 beginning February 1?
• Do I have to create a written program for repetitive motion injuries?
• My company will be closing several field offices before January. Will my company be required to post the Form 300A for those locations that no longer exist?
• If I decide to have a written program for repetitive motion injuries, what should it describe?
• Can you define "reasonable suspicion" with respect to reasonable suspicion drug or alcohol testing?
• What is included in an emergency action plan?
• How does the regulation for workplace violence in health care affect my facility?
• What can I do to plan ahead in case of a violent incident at work?
• Do I have to have a written plan to address workplace violence?
• What is a gun violence restraining order and how does it affect employers?
• Can my company get a temporary restraining order against someone?
• Can I still deny employment if an applicant used cannabis three weeks ago and it is showing up on a drug test now?
• Can we conduct in-house drug testing?
• What do I do if an applicant’s drug test comes back positive?
• We are a small firm and we are developing our Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). Could you give some examples of the necessary training items that should be included for our particular industry IIPP?
• What safety matters should employers watch out for if the power goes out?
• Am I required to hire security guards?
• Do I have to record a violent incident on my Log 300 form?
• We have an employee who has been acting very strangely and saying threatening things. What should we do?
• We required a visibly intoxicated employee to take a drug test and it came back positive. What do we do?
• If an employee voluntarily discloses drug use, can we require they sign a last chance agreement and submit to weekly drug testing?
• Do we have to file a workers' compensation claim for an employee injured on the job and who tested positive for marijuana?
• What can I do if our company requires pre-employment drug tests, but an applicant refuses to take the test?
• How do I implement a random drug testing policy?
• What are the Cal/OSHA requirements for reporting occurrences of COVID-19 in the workplace?
• What COVID-19 rules do we need to follow in the workplace?
• Can I let an applicant start working while I wait for drug test results?
• What can we do if we know that an employee is a victim of domestic violence and other employees are concerned?
• What should I do if I have a violent incident or threat of violence at work?
• What should we do if our employee threatens to commit suicide? Do we have any obligations?