Presentation Overview

The presentation will cover recently enacted and upcoming occupational health worker protections in the state of California.

Intended Audience

This webinar is intended for employers, management, health and safety professionals, industrial hygienists, union representatives, worker advocates, workers, students, faculty, researchers, and policymakers.

About Speaker

Eric Berg is the Deputy Chief of Health for Cal/OSHA and oversees the Cal/OSHA Medical Unit, Research Data Unit, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Unit, Research Program Office, Research and Standards Safety Unit, Crane Unit, Research and Standards Health Unit, Asbestos and Carcinogen Unit, Educational Program and Technical Services Unit, Publications Unit, Training Unit, and Calico Laboratory. He is responsible for the development of occupational health regulations in the State of California. He began with Cal/OSHA as an industrial hygienist in 1997. He previously worked for the California Department of Public Health, United Farm Workers, U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. Public Health Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Health Engineering.

Continuing Education Contact Hours

• Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) may be eligible to earn up to 1.5 contact hours for this event. Visit the BGC CIH Recertification Program for more information.
• Certified Safety Professionals may be eligible to earn up to 1.5 contact hours (0.15 points) for this event. Visit Professional Development Conferences for more information.
• The Southern California Education and Research Center is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 17741 for 1.5 contact hours.
• General Continuing Education Contact Hours - 1.5 

Presentation Overview

Dr. Bonney will discuss findings from a national study examining how local health departments (LHDs) across the United States engaged with workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the barriers and facilitators that shaped their ability to investigate outbreaks and support mitigation efforts. Her presentation will cover the complex landscape of authority for regulating infectious hazards in U.S. workplaces, a landscape in which public health agencies, employers, and OSHA each play distinct roles that do not always align neatly during rapidly evolving emergencies. LHD capacities, such as staffing, occupational health expertise, relationships with employers, and resource constraints, influenced real-world responses to COVID-19 in diverse jurisdictions. LHDs’ capacities have implications for ongoing challenges in protecting workers from airborne infectious diseases, and Dr. Bonney’s study highlights opportunities to strengthen cross-sector coordination, improve surveillance and response capabilities, and build more resilient occupational and public health systems for future pandemics.

Intended Audience

This webinar is intended for employers, management, health and safety professionals, industrial hygienists, union representatives, worker advocates, workers, students, faculty, researchers, and policymakers.

About Speaker

Dr. Tessa Bonney is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she also serves as Director of the Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Safety programs within the Great Lakes Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Dr. Bonney’s work centers on the experiences of workers in low-wage, insecure work arrangements, with particular attention to how these conditions shape health and well-being. Her scholarship spans occupational health equity, worker protection policy, and public health systems that support safe and healthy work.

Continuing Education Contact Hours

• Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) may be eligible to earn up to 1.5 contact hours for this event. Visit the BGC CIH Recertification Program for more information.
• Certified Safety Professionals may be eligible to earn up to 1.5 contact hours (0.15 points) for this event. Visit Professional Development Conferences for more information.
• The Southern California Education and Research Center is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 17741 for 1.5 contact hours.
• General Continuing Education Contact Hours - 1.5