A little over a year ago I was speaking at a trade association dinner. After about 20 minutes of talking, one of the group members interrupted me and asked if they could purchase a membership.

I told them that it is not association practice for guest speakers to sell their products during the meeting. I said that I would be done in about twenty minutes, and that if anyone wanted to make an appointment for the next day, I would be happy to do so.

The topic of my discussion that night was Cal-Osha Compliance and Human Resources Consulting. After another five minutes someone else got up and said, “Look, we just want to buy, we really don’t want to hear anymore.”

Well, I could see that they weren’t going to let me finish, so I asked them what does everyone in this room know, but me? They all looked at a man I’ll call Charlie.

They told me that Charlie had been in the auto repair business for over 30 years, but no longer had a shop. Imagine, I just thought he wanted to retire and drive his RV across the country with his girlfriend of 30 years.

I asked the group why Charlie no longer owned his business, and the answer shook me to the core. The group informed me that Cal-Osha went out to his store, and when they finished, he was fined over $100,000.00 and had no money to pay, so he closed his business.

Times have changed Cal-Osha compliance is imperative, and not only that, but all employers must also comply with California employment laws. And without a good HR consultant and a good security consultant, you can forget about being on the right side of the road Cal-Osha Compliance.

I can remember when I started my business in 1997. There really wasn’t much to accomplish. Back then, employers didn’t really need to have an employee handbook. Employers needed to have a formally written Safety Program, along with their State and Federal Publications, but if you had those things, you were pretty good to start with.

Ah, those were the days of wine and roses and easy compliance, but how things have changed. The laws have changed so much that you almost have to be a lawyer if you want to comply.

Here are some things to have in place if you’re going to be on the right side of the street when it comes to Cal-Osha compliance, and yes, you really do need a good HR consulting firm.

California employment law issues

1. A good employee manual

2. Training on sexual harassment

3. A good media policy

4. Strong, as in Zero Tolerance Policies on Sexual Harassment and Other Unlawful Harassment

5. As of July 1, 2015, you must have the new California Paid Sick Leave Law explained and detailed in your employee handbook.

6. Your “At Will” Policy must be set up and set up and used in a way that does not cost you a lawsuit but helps you win one.

There is more but I am not writing a book, but a note. Before we wrap this up, let’s also address some of the Cal-Osha compliance issues you should be aware of.

Cal-Osha Compliance Issues

1. A formally written safety program that meets the eight standards established by Cal-Osha.

2. A formally written heat illness prevention program, provided you have employees working in temperatures of 90 degrees or higher.

3. Regular safety training topics and if you are in construction that means at least every 10 days.

4. Parodic inspections of your facilities.

5. Make sure all fire extinguishers are checked and marked so that the arrow is in the center of the meter. Then put your initials on the card that is on the fire extinguisher. If this is not done, it is a fine of $250.00 per extinguisher.

Not having a Heat Prevention Program can cost you $18,000.00. Not having a Security Program can cost you $10,000.00.

Although compliance can be challenging, please do not do any of the following.

1. Don’t hide your head in the sand because of all the complexities of achieving and staying compliant.

2. And don’t quit just because you know you’re a good employer and are always trying to do the right thing when it comes to your employees.

Today there are thousands of lawyers advertising on YouTube. Educate employees on how to sue their employer.

So if you think compliance is difficult, try to explain why you don’t comply.