State Fund Appoints Len Welsh as Chief for Workplace Safety

November 18, 2011

Vacaville, CA – State Compensation Insurance Fund announced today that it has appointed Len Welsh as the head of workplace safety for the organization. Welsh will be charged with directing State Fund’s strategies to advance occupational safety and health in California’s workplaces.  He will focus on developing methods for improving safety and health practices, and reducing the rates of workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses.

“With over 20 years of experience as a leader in occupational safety and health, Len is a strong advocate for California employers and workers. State Fund is proud to have someone of Len’s caliber and impressive expertise joining our team,” said Tom Rowe, State Fund President and CEO.

Welsh was instrumental in implementing strategies to create safe work practices in his roles as Chief and Special Counsel at the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), where among many other accomplishments he:

• Implemented the nation’s first comprehensive regulatory heat illness prevention program directed to agriculture and other industries with outdoor workers.
• Oversaw adoption of the nation’s only comprehensive standard to protect healthcare workers from tuberculosis and other airborne diseases.
• Drafted AB 2774 (Swanson) and negotiated its acceptance with major stakeholders, resulting in fundamental redefinition of “serious” violations issued by Cal/OSHA.

A widely recognized leader in occupational health and safety, Welsh directed the adoption and implementation of many groundbreaking occupational safety and health initiatives during his tenure at Cal/OSHA, and has spoken extensively to business, professional, and labor groups on a wide variety of workplace health and safety issues.

He is currently serving as Special Counsel to the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations and will begin his transition to State Fund at the beginning of the New Year.

Welsh graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Spanish, earned his Master of Science Degree in Environmental Health Sciences from U.C. Berkeley, and his law degree from Hastings College of the Law.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Established in 1914 by the state legislature, State Fund is California’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance and a vital asset to California businesses. Completely self supporting, State Fund plays a stabilizing role in California’s economy by maintaining an open door policy that ensures all employers have a strong and stable option for their workers’ compensation needs.