McNeil Safety Consulting &
Industrial Hygiene

McNeil Safety Consulting, based in San Gabriel, California, is led by Michael Karl McNeil — a credentialed industrial hygiene and environmental health professional who has worked in occupational health and safety since 1989. Michael holds professional designations including REP, RIH, EPP and QSD, and is an AIHA Registered Specialist in Exposure Decision Analysis. He is also a former Fire Battalion Chief with 25 years of fire service experience. The company serves employers throughout California and the rest of the lower 48 states. Call (626) 546-9384.

Cal/OSHA (California Division of Occupational Safety and Health) is California’s state-run workplace safety program, which operates under a State Plan approved by federal OSHA. Cal/OSHA standards are often stricter than federal OSHA standards and apply to most private-sector and state/local government employers in California. Federal OSHA covers federal government workers in California. Key Cal/OSHA-specific requirements include the mandatory Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), heat illness prevention standards, and specific construction safety regulations. McNeil Safety Consulting specializes in both Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA compliance for California businesses.

If a Cal/OSHA compliance officer arrives at your workplace, you have rights. You are not required to allow an inspection without a warrant unless you consent. However, refusing entry can escalate the situation. Best practice: remain calm and professional, ask for the officer’s credentials and the reason for the visit, contact McNeil Safety Consulting immediately at (626) 546-9384, and do not volunteer information beyond what is directly asked. Having a safety consultant present during or immediately after an inspection can help you understand your exposure and respond appropriately.

Yes. Cal/OSHA citation defense is one of our core services. We can review the citation, help you understand your options, prepare your response, and represent your interests through the informal conference and contest process. Acting quickly is critical — the deadline to contest is 15 working days in California, and it is shorter or longer depending on the state. Call (626) 546-9384 immediately if you have received a citation.

As of 2024, OSHA’s maximum penalty for a single serious violation is $161,323. Willful or repeated violations can reach the same amount — per instance. Beyond fines, a workplace injury can trigger workers’ compensation claims averaging $42,000 in California, plus indirect costs (lost productivity, retraining, legal fees) that are typically 3–5 times the direct costs. A proper safety program is far less expensive than a single incident.

California law (Cal/OSHA Title 8, Section 3203) requires virtually every employer to have a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). This document outlines your safety policies, hazard identification procedures, employee training, and recordkeeping practices. Businesses without a current, site-specific IIPP are at significant risk of citations. We write custom IIPPs tailored to your specific workplace and industry.

Occupational health and safety consulting involves assessing workplace hazards, developing safety programs, ensuring regulatory compliance, and training employees to prevent injuries and illnesses. A consultant like McNeil Safety Consulting evaluates your specific workplace, identifies risks, and creates tailored programs to protect your employees and keep your business compliant with Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA standards.

Yes. Michael McNeil provides expert witness testimony and litigation support for attorneys handling workplace injury cases, Cal/OSHA enforcement actions, occupational disease claims, and property liability matters throughout California. His credentials include REP, RIH, and professional memberships in ACOEM, AIHA and ACGIH. Contact us at (626) 546-9384 to discuss your case.

McNeil Safety Consulting brings an interdisciplinary background that is uncommon in the safety consulting field. Michael Karl McNeil holds professional designations in industrial hygiene (RIH, and AIHA Registered Specialist in Exposure Decision Analysis), environmental science (REP), and stormwater compliance (QSD), and has worked in occupational health and safety since 1989. He is also a former Fire Battalion Chief with 25 years of fire service experience. Additionally, a California licensed nurse is on staff supporting occupational health, infection control, and OSHA medical surveillance — a combination not typically found in a safety consulting company.

Michael Karl McNeil served 25 years in fire service, rising to Fire Battalion Chief. This background provides direct, practical knowledge of emergency response operations, hazardous materials incidents, wildfire environments, and high-risk occupational settings — knowledge that directly informs his approach to workplace hazard assessment, safety program development, and wildfire contamination consulting.

After a wildfire, ash and soot deposited on properties can contain toxic heavy metals, asbestos, benzene, and other hazardous compounds from burned structures and vegetation. A wildfire contamination assessment involves air quality testing, surface wipe sampling, and soil analysis to determine whether your property is safe to occupy or requires professional remediation. Property owners, landlords, insurers, and real estate buyers throughout California should obtain an assessment before re-occupying or transacting on any property in or near a fire-affected area. Call (626) 546-9384 to schedule an assessment.

When a tenant claims uninhabitable conditions — or when a landlord needs to document actual code violations or health and safety deficiencies — an independent expert assessment is critical. We provide written property condition reports, habitability evaluations, and expert declarations that landlords and their attorneys can use in unlawful detainer proceedings in California courts. Our documentation is objective and professionally prepared by a credentialed occupational health and safety professional.

When a city or county planning commission denies a permit, imposes conditions, or issues an environmental determination that affects your project, you have the right to appeal. These proceedings often turn on health, safety, and environmental impact questions — exactly where our expertise applies. We provide expert testimony, written reports, and technical analysis for developers, property owners, and businesses appealing decisions before planning commissions and local city boards throughout California.

Yes. McNeil Safety Consulting provides occupational health and safety consulting specifically for motion picture and television productions throughout California. This includes writing site-specific Injury and Illness Prevention Programs (IIPP) for each set location — a Cal/OSHA requirement for all California employers, including production companies. We also conduct hazard assessments for locations, provide infection control protocols, oversee stunt and pyrotechnic safety compliance, and ensure your production meets all Cal/OSHA Title 8 standards. Call (626) 546-9384 to discuss your project.

We work with construction, manufacturing, healthcare and skilled nursing facilities, film and television production, energy, warehousing and logistics, commercial and residential real estate, and hospitality. If you don’t see your industry listed, contact us — we work with businesses of all types throughout California.

Yes. McNeil Safety Consulting works across the lower 48 states. In California that includes Los Angeles, Pasadena, Arcadia, Alhambra, Glendale, Burbank, Long Beach, Torrance, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and Northern and Central California. Call (626) 546-9384 to discuss your location.

McNeil Safety Consulting works across the lower 48 states. In California that runs from Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley to Pasadena, Arcadia, Alhambra, Glendale, Burbank, Long Beach, Torrance, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and Northern and Central California. Call (626) 546-9384 or visit mcneilsafetyconsulting.com to schedule a consultation.

We understand that safety issues can be time-sensitive. For urgent matters — such as a recent workplace accident, a Cal/OSHA inspection, or an imminent citation deadline — call us directly at (626) 546-9384. For general consultation requests submitted through our contact form, we respond within one business day.