OSHA is formally seeking public input on its efforts to develop a permanent COVID-19 safety standard for healthcare facilities based on its defunct emergency temporary standard (ETS) for the sector, and is already floating a long list of potential changes that could broaden the rule’s scope or add more compliance flexibility for employers.
November 15, 2026
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has quickly completed its review of what one source says will be OSHA’s call for public comments to inform a permanent COVID-19 protection rule for healthcare facilities based on its emergency temporary standard (ETS).
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OSHA is reversing its Trump-era arguments that prompted a federal district court to narrow the application of a little-used OSH Act provision allowing workers to sue the agency to force action on an “imminent” workplace danger, after former officials said the precedent could undermine enforcement more broadly.
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Lawmakers appear poised to approve a fiscal year 2022 omnibus spending bill that would boost OSHA’s funding by $20 million as part of an overall $1.8 billion for the Labor Department’s (DOL) worker protection agencies -- a $42 million hike from current levels and just $2 million shy of the White House’s request.
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The Senate has confirmed by voice vote two of President Joe Biden’s three nominees to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), moving the panel, which investigates industrial incidents and advises OSHA and other agencies, closer to full strength after it spent more than a year with a single member.
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The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has chosen the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit to hear suits over OSHA’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19 vaccinations -- a boost to employers, GOP-led states and conservative groups seeking to scrap the rule, as the court is dominated by Republican nominees.
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EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG)’s annual report on management challenges facing the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) once again finds that the panel cannot function properly with just one Senate-confirmed member, even after reworking its governing rules to better fit the current “quorum of one."
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has blocked implementation of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19 vaccination, writing in a one-page order that the rule appears to have “grave statutory and constitutional issues,” marking the first victory for opponents of the ETS in a barrage of pending suits over its legality.
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OSHA’s deputy regulatory chief told an Aug. 31 conference the agency plans to let its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) expire after a six-month window, noting that while future developments could lead officials to reverse course, its plan “at this point” is to allow the rule to sunset before proposing a permanent disease rule.
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OSHA’s new general-industry guidance tightening recommendations for face coverings in the workplace is drawing a mixed response from employers’ attorneys, with some praising the agency for aligning its policy with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) while others say the precise scope of the guide is still unclear.
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