Juliann Sum becomes new Cal/OSHA chief

Sacramento, CA – Juliann Sum has been named chief of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) made the appointment on Dec. 3.

Sum has served as acting Cal/OSHA chief since September 2013. Prior to that, she was a special advisor to Christine Baker, director of the state’s Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees Cal/OSHA.

“I am grateful for the opportunity as division chief to maintain and enhance safe workplaces and practices for workers and employers in California,” Sum said in a press release.

Before joining DIR in 2012, Sum was the project director with University of California at Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, and an attorney and industrial hygienist with UC Berkeley’s Labor Occupational Health Program.

“Juliann has been a tireless advocate for safety in California’s workplaces,” Baker said in the release. “As chief she will continue to focus on strengthening Cal/OSHA’s enforcement, compliance, outreach and education efforts.”