The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is pushing for improved workplace safety in the cannabis industry.
The program will at first focus on the cannabis industry in Colorado, where there have been three cannabis-related workplace deaths in the past seven years, according to Marijuana Moment.
OSHA is a U.S. federal agency and while cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, Meredith Post, an OSHA compliance assistance specialist, said it won’t affect her agency’s work inspecting facilities.
OSHA has for years been conducting cannabis facility inspections, which have turned up violations like improper material handling, slip-and-fall risks and lack of necessary safety equipment.
But the agency’s new emphasis program will hopefully get more cannabis facilities to proactively address safety concerns.
Post said the program could help prevent cannabis workplace accidents and deaths. She specifically mentioned an incident where a cannabis employee died after falling from a platform without adequate guardrails.