Refinery and chemical plants.

A new Section 7860.5 is added to the Labor Code, expanding the bill's scope from a nonsubstantive apprenticeship amendment to a comprehensive refinery and chemical plant worker safety law.

Employers must develop, implement, and maintain a written plan for employee participation in all process safety management elements, including process hazard analysis, damage mechanism review, management of change, incident investigations, and pre-startup safety review.

By April 1, 2027, employers must implement stop work procedures giving any employee (including contractors) the authority to refuse tasks that could reasonably result in death or serious physical harm, and the authority of qualified operators to shut down operations based on process safety hazards.

Employers must establish procedures allowing any employee to anonymously report hazards, and must respond in writing within 30 calendar days to written hazard reports, prioritizing hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm.

Employers must document all recommendations for shutdowns, actual shutdowns, and written hazard reports along with the employer's response.

The bill distinguishes between employees represented by an authorized collective bargaining agent (who may select representatives) and those who are not (for whom the employer must establish selection procedures in consultation with employees).

The fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amended bill now has a state fiscal impact requiring fiscal committee review.

The original nonsubstantive change to Section 3120 (swapping 'goals and objectives' to 'objectives and goals') is retained but renumbered from Section 1 to Section 2 of the bill.