Department of Industrial Relations: advisory committee: occupational safety and health.

Assembly Member McKinnor's proposal to address chronic understaffing at California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health directs the Department of Industrial Relations to commission a comprehensive workforce study from the University of California's occupational safety programs at Berkeley and UCLA.

The legislation responds to documented staffing challenges within the division's enforcement unit, where current ratios show one inspector for every 120,102 California workers - compared to approximately one per 25,000 workers in Washington and Oregon. As of late 2024, the enforcement division reported a 42.5% vacancy rate, with eight regional offices exceeding 50% vacancies. The division also faces language access constraints, with only 10 bilingual compliance officers serving a workforce that includes 5 million non-English speakers.

Under the bill's provisions, UC researchers would analyze causes of persistent vacancies, evaluate potential career pathway programs, and recommend strategies to expand and diversify the inspector candidate pool. The study would examine hiring practices, position requirements, training models, and opportunities to better match inspector qualifications with California's diverse workforce needs. A 15-17 member advisory committee comprising state agency representatives, labor organizations, worker advocacy groups, academic institutions and employer representatives would help shape the study's scope and review findings.

The measure requires completion of the study within 18 months of contracting, followed by public posting of recommendations for the division, Department of Human Resources, and Legislature regarding inspector workforce development initiatives. Implementation would begin once the Legislature appropriates necessary funding.