LOS ANGELES—The California Department of Health and Safety (CalOSHA) has scheduled a meeting of the subcommittee on health standards for the adult industry, a group which was largely selected from the attendees at the agency's previous meeting of June 29, where approximately 150 people crowded into a meeting room at 100 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA.
The subcommittee members include adult industry attorney Paul Cambria, Free Speech Coalition (FSC) representative and industry regulatory expert Kevin Bland, Hot House Entertainment CEO Steven Scarborough, Evil Angel General Manager Christian Mann, former adult actress Traci "Anita Cannibal" Bryant, Immoral Productions CEO Dan Leal, AIDS Healthcare Foundation in-house attorney Brian Chase, LA County Department of Public Health's STD program director Dr. Peter Kerndt, UCLA Public Health Interest Group director Dr. Paula Tavrow, nurse Denise Bleak, California Department of Health Services STD Control Branch Chief Dr. Gail Bolan and Centers for Disease Control HIV/STD Unit Chief Frank Strona. This subcommittee is apparently the group that will make recommendations to the CalOSHA Standards Board of Directors regarding any changes to be made to the California Labor Code regarding the existing blood borne pathogen standards (BBPP) currently in place.
Specifically, Wednesday's meeting will be discussing a petition filed by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) on December 17, 2009, which seeks to require adult film producers specifically to force performers to use condoms (and possibly dental dams and goggles) for any oral, vaginal or anal penetration, even if such penetration is merely by a finger, dildo or vibrator; to provide Hepatitis B vaccine to all performers at the producer's expense; to provide BBPP training to all performers at the producer's expense, unless it can be shown that such training has been provided by someone else within the previous 12 months; to provide anti-HIV drugs to any performer who comes in contact with any blood or other "potentially infection materials" during a performance at the producer's expense; and to provide comprehensive testing and treatment for other STDs, again at the producer's expense.
According to an FSC press release, the subcommittee will also consider standards revisions proposed by FSC, which were developed with input from OSHA compliance experts and adult industry stakeholders.
"It is my hope that this meeting is not designed to carry the political agenda of AHF and others like them, who know nothing about the adult industry but wish to regulate and control it," FSC Executive Director Diane Duke said. "Whether CalOSHA will listen to the real stakeholders of this issue remains to be seen."
Wednesday's meeting is the second of four meetings scheduled to address regulations for bloodbourne pathogen standards for adult industry productions. An additional subcommittee meeting will be followed by a CalOSHA Board of directors meeting, to be held at a to-be-announced location in the Bay Area in October.
