Bill > AB2321

This bill strengthens workplace safety and health laws in California by expanding the responsibilities of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health and its internal Bureau of Investigations (BOI), the specialized unit within the division that handles criminal investigations related to workplace accidents. Specifically, the legislation makes it a misdemeanor to willfully resist, prevent, impede, or interfere with state workplace safety inspectors and investigators during the performance of their duties, or to violate related court orders. It also broadens the scope of existing criminal offenses to include willful safety violations that result in serious injury, illness, or exposure—not just death or permanent impairment—and expands mandatory BOI investigations to cover any accident where a willful violation citation is issued. Furthermore, the bill improves interagency coordination by requiring emergency responders, such as local fire and police departments, to immediately notify both the nearest division office and the local district attorney's office when responding to workplace accidents involving serious injuries, illnesses, exposures, or deaths, while also permitting otherwise confidential trade secret information to be shared with law enforcement and prosecutors during criminal investigations. Finally, the legislation requires the BOI to submit annual reports on its activities and case dispositions directly to the Legislature to ensure greater transparency and oversight regarding workplace safety enforcement and prosecutions.