The Labor Department’s (DOL) plan to shift some whistleblower investigators out of OSHA and into a newly created Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is raising questions about the proposal’s practical effects on investigations that may involve more than one statute, as well as how DOL will be able to handle a growing number of complaints.
A Democratic House lawmaker from Illinois is urging EPA to halt its plan to extend compliance deadlines for workplace exposure requirements for two solvents, arguing the agency’s proposal to extend these deadlines contained in Biden-era TSCA risk management rules will weak protections for workers.
OSHA has finalized its revocation of the “house falls” in marine terminals standard after it determined the standard is no longer necessary to protect employees working in marine terminals from occupational safety and health hazards -- the first finalization of a score of deregulatory actions the agency proposed last year.
OSHA is urging a federal district court in Texas to dismiss for a range of procedural grounds a constitutional challenge to the OSH Act brought by a pair of produce groups in the state, or, if the court decides it has jurisdiction, to find that the OSH Act contains an “intelligible principle” and is constitutional.
California lawmakers are advancing a labor-backed bill to require a comprehensive academic study of California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) chronic “understaffing” and staff position vacancy rate, which would include recommendations on policies the state could pursue to bolster “career pathways” for such positions.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently confirmed that a judicial stay of Biden-era silica standards remains in effect while the agency engages in “limited rulemaking” to reconsider the 2024 rule, although legal experts note uncertainty over MSHA’s future actions remains.
OSHA has issued a revised version of its National Emphasis Program (NEP) for heat-related hazards after allowing a Biden-era version of the NEP to lapse, cutting the overall number of industries targeted by the program and removing a mandate to increase inspections.
California lawmakers are advancing a bill to require California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) to develop new rules to protect outdoor workers from “transboundary” pollution -- specifically hazards posed by untreated sewage and industrial wastewater that cross the border from Baja California in Mexico.
OSHA has allowed the Biden-era heat National Emphasis Program (NEP) to expire even as it remains unclear when or if the agency will finalize a national heat illness and injury standard, although legal experts note that even without the NEP, OSHA could still take enforcement action under the General Duty Clause.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is asking Congress for $348.2 million in fiscal year 2027, a $37.6 million cut from FY26 enacted levels of $378.8 million, while emphasizing increased investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and other actions to make the agency more efficient.
OSHA is proposing to remove a deadline for certain fixed ladders to be equipped with personal fall arrest systems or ladder safety systems and is seeking comment on repealing or revising the requirement, after industry groups petitioned the agency to “grandfather” already-installed fixed ladders with cages or wells.