Hidden dangers with opening schools.

I just read that O.S.H.A., California has fined San Quentin for several Rona violations. One was for not having an "aerosol transmissible disease exposure plan."

I looked up the OSHA website to see what such a plan was: No information. This may be an example of something some inspector pulled straight out of his ying-yang.

Fines were also issued for not having proper protective equipment or instruction on how to use it.  Furthermore, staff that were exposed to C-19 were not offered proper services like testing, contact tracing and medical referrals. 

Other fines were issued for record keeping violations and administrative deficiencies. 

If you have ever taken the OSHA 30 hour course, you know the list of requirements is onerous. 

Since Individual teachers and/or the union can file a complaint with OSHA and these can result in monumental fines, do we want to pressure schools to open during the pandemic? 


https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-101/chap1.html#:~:text=In%20States%20under%20Federal%20OSHA,recognition%20assistance%20and%20technical%20support.

OSHA is a Federal Agency that promulgates and enforces standards dealing with occupational safety and health as they apply to private and Federal employees in the workplace. The legislative mandate for OSHA comes from the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Under the Act, OSHA does not have jurisdiction over State and local government employees, including those in public schools.


It reminds me of when I was teaching in New Providence High School. A few times a year, the halls were filled with the smell of formaldehyde. It is a carcinogen. I called the O.S.H.A. office in Princeton.: no more formaldehyde. 

If O.S.H.A. has no jurisdiction over state or local governments, why did California prisons get fined for unsafe Rona violations at its prisons? Why do N.J. county governments get fined by O.S.H.A.

O.S.H.A. promulgates a monthly list of its enforcement activities. State, county and local governments get fined...... every month.

We already recognize that there are M/SO schools with inadequate ventilation.


When they say "OSHA violation" it may be a shorthand reference to the system.

"The New Jersey Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) State Plan is part of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDLWD). ... PEOSH covers all state and local government workers in the state. It does not cover federal government workers. Federal government workers, including those employed by the United States Postal Service and civilian workers on military bases, are covered by OSHA. ... PEOSH has adopted identically all OSHA standards and regulations applicable to state and local government employment with the exception of the following:

  • Hazard Communication Program Standard - NJAC 12:100-7
  • Firefighters Standard-- NJAC 12:100-10"

New Jersey State Plan | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)



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