SCCA Magazine

Cal/OSHA targeting construction industry in heat sweeps
As temperatures climb across Southern California, the Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is stepping up enforcement of heat illness regulations at jobsites, paying particular attention to the construction industry.

Classifications are the foundation of a Workers’ Comp policy
Two years ago, California reviewed the Workers’ Comp policies of about 250 of the largest employers in the state looking for mistakes in the policies. They classified a mistake as something that would make a difference of more than 10 percent in the premium. In the review, they found just over 50 percent with mistakes that amounted to more than 10 percent of the premiums. Never mind how many must have had errors of a lesser magnitude. It’s critical to review the classifications on your policy every year.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: CONCRETE CORING CO.
Founded in 1961, Concrete Coring Co.‒ Los Angeles performs any application that involves drilling or cutting concrete: core drilling, flat sawing, wall sawing, hand sawing, grinding, grooving, wire sawing and demolition. The company specializes in large and deep coring, and deep wall, wire and flat sawing. The 50-year-old company has grown from a small family business to employing 37 and operating 20 trucks, and has partners in most states to take on the largest jobs.

REGULAR DEPARTMENTS

CSLB investigators initiate stings
By David Kalb

Contractors State License Board (CSLB) investigators are joining with local law enforcement to protect consumers and contractors from damages caused by criminal activity. Unlicensed contractors have always been a problem for the construction industry and will never totally be eliminated, but the current enforcement activities against contractors that are unlicensed, uninsured and/or not covered by Workers’ Compensation Insurance is the strongest I’ve seen in 30 years of dealing with CSLB.

Two recent examples show how active the Board is throughout the state. June 9, CSLB, in conjunction with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office and California Department of Insurance conducted a sting at a home near the Santa Cruz Harbor. They netted seven people suspected of violating state consumer protection and labor laws.

The day before, CSLB, in partnership with the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office and California Department of Insurance had caught 11 unlicensed operators in a sting in Woodland. Investigators from CSLB’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) and the DA’s office posed as homeowners seeking bids for home improvement projects, including roofing, painting, fencing and general building. Those who submitted bids for more than $500 for labor and materials received citations from the DA’s office for misdemeanor contracting without a license. Those who claimed they had workers will also face misdemeanor charges for failure to obtain Worker’s Compensation Insurance.

One unlicensed individual from Santa Cruz bid for roofing work and didn’t have a license or Worker’s Comp Insurance, which roofing contractors must have even if they certify to CSLB that they have no employees. An unlicensed painter was caught by the sting and received a Notice to Appear for contracting without a license. He already has a pending court case, on charges of – you guessed it – contracting without a license. “These sting operations are a prime example of how violations of state consumer protection laws will not be tolerated by CSLB and its partnering agencies,” says CSLB Registrar Steve Sands.