7350 Department of Industrial Relations
Major Program Changes
  • Process Safety Management Unit Expansion (Refinery Inspections) - The Budget includes an increase of $2.4 million Occupational Safety and Health Fund and 11 positions to enforce workplace health and safety regulations in 15 refineries and over 1,600 other facilities that handle hazardous chemicals. These staff will significantly increase the number of refinery inspections as well as the time spent conducting each inspection. Refinery inspections will be funded from a new regulatory fee based on the amount of crude oil being processed at each refinery.

  • Public Works/Prevailing Wage Consolidation - The Budget includes multiple adjustments to consolidate all public works and prevailing wage enforcement activities within a single unit supported by a new registration fee on contractors who choose to work on public works projects. The fee will support an $11.4 million program with 83 positions. The Budget proposes (1) a reduction of $2.5 million in the General Fund, (2) an increase of $5.7 million in the State Public Works Enforcement Fund, (3) a decrease of $4.4 million in the Labor Enforcement and Compliance Fund, and (4) a net decrease of 13 positions. The new fee will eliminate the program's reliance on the General Fund and bond funds tied to public works projects, which have resulted in funding challenges in the past. These funding changes, along with programmatic efficiencies realized through the consolidation, will provide the program with a stable funding source to support prevailing wage determinations, monitoring, and enforcement throughout the state. This represents an increase of over 20 positions compared to prior enforcement levels in this critical program area.