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Occupational Health Branch
About Occupational Health Branch Programs

Occupational Health Branch

What We Do

Workers wearing orange construction vests operate a concrete cutting saw on a roadway that has been torn up for repairs. A white work truck is behind them. The Occupational Health Branch (OHB) is a program in the California Department of Public Health devoted to improving worker health and safety through prevention activities.

OHB works to prevent injury and illness on the job before they happen. To achieve this, we:

Identify and evaluate workplace hazards
Track patterns of work-related injury and illness
Develop training and informational materials
Provide technical assistance to others to prevent work-related injury and illness
Work with partners to develop safer ways to work
Recommend protective occupational health standards

OHB Programs

California Safe Cosmetics Program (CSCP)

Collects and provides information on hazardous ingredients in cosmetic products sold in California.

Emerging Workplace Hazards Unit (EWHU)

Identifies and investigates newly recognized or previously under-addressed workplace health and safety risks. Educates workers and employers to increase awareness of these hazards and how to prevent them.

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (FACE)

Identifies and studies workplace deaths and provides prevention recommendations.

Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS)

Evaluates hazards to provide information and technical assistance on new or unappreciated hazards.

Occupational Health Surveillance and Evaluation Program (OHSEP)

Tracks work-related injuries and diseases, assesses occupational exposures to hazards, and makes safety prevention recommendations to workers and employers. The program's findings are used to promote safer and healthier work environments. Programs under OHSEP include FACE, Worker HEAT, OPIPP, and WRAPP.

Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OLPPP)

Provides services to prevent and reduce lead poisoning in workplaces, including tracking blood lead levels in workers; investigating work-related lead poisoning; and providing information and technical assistance to employers, workers, physicians, and others to prevent lead poisoning among workers in California.