OSHA is bolstering enforcement oversight of trenching and excavation operations after a spike in worker deaths, updating its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on preventing collapses and increasing education and enforcement, though an industry official is bristling at OSHA's continued use of enforcement programs he faults for inflating OSHA penalties.
November 15, 2026
Public Citizen is seeking to bolster its push to compel release of employers' worker injury and illness data, arguing that recent OSHA statements undermine the Trump administration's claims in its lawsuit that releasing worker data through public records requests would deter reporting, and that it is unable to detect companies that do not report.
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The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is formally reviewing a draft OSHA plan for collecting information on possible changes, long sought by industry, to ease the agency's so-called lockout/tagout safety standard that applies to power equipment that is shut off during repair work.
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The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is launching an “actionable dialogue” with workers, managers and others to limit workplace hazards from combustible dust in the face of inaction by the Trump OSHA, which shelved a rulemaking setting a first-time standard to protect workers against hazards from combustible dust.
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Despite opposition from industry, OSHA's top enforcement official is reiterating warnings to industry representatives to be ready for “lots of inspections,” a stance that officials have previously touted but one that is at odds with the Trump administration's general efforts to curb regulation and enhance compliance.
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OSHA has sent two draft measures sought by industry groups to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, efforts aimed at completing Obama administration plans to modify existing rules on powered industrial trucks and crane operator qualifications.
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Brushing aside concerns from Democrats and labor unions, the Trump administration has proposed reinstating an exemption from Labor Department (DOL) rules to allow teens to operate powered patient lifts in healthcare, arguing that guidance from OSHA and other agencies is sufficient to mitigate any risks.
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OSHA's recently-updated Unified Agenda of pending rules shows the Trump administration continuing to advance rollbacks of major Obama-era rules, some at a delayed pace, spurring renewed criticism from labor advocates who argue the agency is failing to significantly advance necessary worker health and safety regulations.
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The Trump administration is expanding its rollback of an Obama-era injury and illness reporting rule with a new memo that critics say will curtail OSHA enforcement of the rule's anti-retaliation provisions, as dozens of Senate Democrats are urging the agency to drop a proposed rule that would limit the reporting requirements of the Obama rule.
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California’s attorney general (AG) is strongly defending the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's (CSB) role in investigating accidents and recommending workplace safety and other rules, while backing CSB's push for a broad subpoena to investigate a refinery explosion, amid the Trump administration's calls to scrap the agency.
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