The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), a division of the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), possesses jurisdiction over all employment and places of employment, and the power necessary to enforce and administer all occupational health and safety laws and standards.
The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Board) is an independent entity within DIR and is exclusively responsible for adopting occupational safety and health standards within California.
The Board has not yet adopted workplace standards regarding naloxone hydrochloride, which reverses opioid overdose.
Assembly Bill 1976 (AB 1976) requires DOSH, before December 1, 2027, to submit a draft rulemaking proposal to revise specified regulations on first aid materials and emergency medical services to require first aid materials in a workplace to include naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
AB 1976 requires DOSH, in drafting the rulemaking proposal, to provide guidance to employers on proper storage of the opioid antagonist, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
AB 1976 requires the Board to consider DOSH’s standards described above for adoption on or before December 1, 2028.
(AB 1976 adds section 6723 to the Labor Code.)