Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, REPORTS—California Workplace Safety Commission urges focus on prevention, enforcement, AI oversight, and return-to-work policies, (Aug 4, 2026)

By WK Editorial Staff

The annual report’s workplace health and safety section includes extensive data on occupational injuries, illnesses, fatalities, and enforcement activities.

California’s Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) is urging policymakers, employers, unions, and labor advocates to take a broader view of workplace safety, emphasizing injury prevention, occupational health research, enforcement, workforce training, and emerging issues such as artificial intelligence and heat-related hazards. The recommendations appear in CHSWC’s 2025 Annual Report, which outlines the commission’s priorities for improving workplace health and safety throughout the state.

The commission, created by California’s workers’ compensation reform legislation and composed of representatives of both management and labor, serves as an advisory body charged with examining California’s workplace safety and health systems and recommending legislative and administrative improvements. The group’s membership includes employer representatives, labor representatives and occupational safety stakeholders.

Though the annual report covers a wide range of topics, including workers’ compensation administration, the commission’s workplace safety agenda extends beyond claims administration and focuses on preventing injuries and illnesses before they occur. CHSWC states that injury and illness prevention remains the most effective way to protect workers’ earnings while reducing costs and disruptions for employers.

Prevention remains central theme. Among the commission’s most significant recommendations is continued support for the Worker Occupational Safety and Health Training and Education Program (WOSHTEP), a statewide initiative that provides occupational safety training to workers, including young workers and agricultural employees. CHSWC characterized WOSHTEP as one of its most proactive efforts to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses through education and outreach.

The commission also called for expanded collaboration between the Department of Industrial Relations, university-based resource centers, and community organizations to increase awareness of workplace safety programs and reach vulnerable worker populations. Recommendations include developing additional educational materials for workers with limited English proficiency, limited literacy, or other barriers to accessing safety resources.

School employees emerged as a specific area of concern. The commission recommended expanding its School Action for Safety and Health program and developing training materials addressing hazards faced by teachers and other K-12 employees. Among the issues identified were virus transmission risks in schools, work-life balance concerns, and occupational injury prevention.

Heat, wildfire and silica hazards remain priorities. The report highlights several workplace hazards that continue to draw attention from California regulators and policymakers.

CHSWC urged further exploration of technologies that could better protect farm workers from outdoor heat exposure, an issue that has become increasingly important as California experiences more frequent and intense heat events. The commission also recommended continued collaboration with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, commonly known as Cal/OSHA, to promote resources on heat illness prevention and wildfire safety.

The commission additionally pointed to growing concerns surrounding engineered stone products and silica exposure. CHSWC recommended working with researchers and policymakers to evaluate safer alternatives to engineered stone materials that contain silica dust and can contribute to silicosis.

Those concerns coincide with recent legislative activity summarized in the report. Among the occupational safety measures enacted during 2025 was SB 20, which strengthens protections regarding high-exposure work involving artificial stone and requires additional worker training, enforcement and disease surveillance efforts related to silicosis risks.

AI enters the workplace policy discussion. One of the report’s more forward-looking sections addresses artificial intelligence.

CHSWC notes that generative AI technologies have rapidly gained prominence and could significantly influence workplace administration and occupational health systems. The commission cautioned that AI deployment should be accompanied by careful study, policy development, and oversight to avoid unintended consequences.

Rather than endorsing broad adoption, the commission recommended continued monitoring of new AI developments and support for guidelines governing appropriate AI use. Elsewhere in the report, CHSWC suggested that large language models may have potential value as aids in health care management and diagnostic processes but should not replace human decision-making.

Attention turns to changing federal landscape. The report also reflects concern about shifts in federal occupational health infrastructure.

CHSWC specifically recommends monitoring changes affecting the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The commission said policymakers should track developments in occupational health research, federal data collection initiatives and evolving federal responsibilities related to worker health and safety.

The commission additionally highlighted the newly launched West Coast Health Alliance involving California, Oregon, and Washington. CHSWC said the alliance may provide useful evidence-based information regarding health care and disease-related issues that could affect workplace health policies in the future.

Enforcement, compliance, and the underground economy. Beyond traditional safety issues, the report devotes significant attention to enforcement challenges associated with California’s underground economy.

According to CHSWC, businesses operating outside labor, safety, and reporting requirements create unfair competitive advantages and undermine worker protections. The commission cited estimates that underground economic activity contributes billions of dollars in lost tax revenue annually.

To address those concerns, CHSWC recommends continued collaboration among labor enforcement agencies, expanded compliance education, and ongoing support for the Labor Enforcement Task Force. It also encourages reporting of businesses that fail to comply with health and safety requirements, and advocates continued publication of information regarding enforcement actions and violations.

The commission also raised concerns about payroll underreporting, referencing prior research estimating that substantial amounts of payroll may be misreported each year. CHSWC recommended updating earlier studies to better understand the current extent of payroll underreporting and misclassification practices.

Safety data paints mixed picture. The annual report’s workplace health and safety section includes extensive data on occupational injuries, illnesses, fatalities, and enforcement activities. The state recorded 679,537 occupational injuries and illnesses in 2024, according to CHSWC. The report also tracks fatality trends, industry-specific injury rates, demographic patterns, and enforcement activity conducted by Cal/OSHA.

The commission continues to analyze high-hazard occupations, repetitive-motion injuries, cumulative trauma disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions. It recommends expanded research into injury mechanisms, risk factors, and technologies that could improve prevention efforts, including motion analyses, sensors, assistive technologies, and ergonomic interventions.

CHSWC also supports development of a California Occupational Research Agenda tailored to the needs of the state’s workforce and employers while incorporating national research priorities. The goal, according to the commission, is to strengthen evidence-based approaches to workplace injury prevention.

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