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Occupational Health Branch

The Occupational Health Branch (OHB) promotes safe and healthy workplaces for all Californians.

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The Valley fever fungus can infect people who work or dig outdoors in certain areas in California, including wildland firefightersā€‹ā€‹ digging and moving soil to control fires.
Fire safety crews working in California should learn about Valley fever and know the symptoms, which sometimes appear weeks after exposure to dust outdoors. If left untreated, the infection can lead to serious illness.

Learn more: Valley Fever | Groups at Risk | Symptoms | Resources for Outdoor Workers & Employersā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹

ā€‹ā€‹Whatā€™s New at OHB?

Engineered Stone (ES) Silicosis Dashboard

The ES Silicosis Dashboardā€‹ contains surveillance data for ES Silicosis cases reported to the state since surveillance began in 2019. Data are updated weekly and are also available for download.

Program for Respirator Outreach, Training, Education, and Community Testing (PROTECT)

The PROTECT programā€‹ provides workers and the general public the tools they need to protect themselves from respiratory hazards, such as wildfire smoke or infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

For Cannabis Industry Workers and Employers

Health and Safety in the Cannabis industryā€‹

For Stone Fabrication Workers

ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹Hazard Alert for Workers (PDF) | Spanish | Chineseā€‹ - a fact sheet for workers

For Stone Fabrication Employers

ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹Silica: Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) Fact Sheet (PDF) - guide for employers

 Workplace Air Monitoring for Silica: Employer Guide (PDF, 8.6MB) - easy-to-use guide to get started

For Health Care Providers

ā€‹Silicosis in Countertop Fabrication Workers, UCLA (free CME)

Recent Work by OHB Staff

NEW!ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹Indoor Air Quality Assessments in 10 Long-Term Care Facilities during the COVID-19 Pandemicā€‹, California, 2021ā€“2023ā€‹, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (October 2024)

ā€‹NEW! Occupational Heat Related Illness (HRI) Emergency Department Visits, California, 2016ā€“2021 (PDF)ā€‹, Analysis Report - key findings from analysis of emergency department visits for work-related heat illnessā€‹ (August 2024)ā€‹

ā€‹Unmet Mental Health Needs Among California Workers Since the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemicā€‹, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (April 2024)ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹

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