A federal district court judge is ordering the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to produce within 10 days an administrative record explaining its decision earlier this year to essentially shut down a key federal workplace-safety agency, saying HHS has to date produced nothing that explains its actions.
September 16, 2026
The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has amended regulations governing its operations, organization and management in order to improve their function, better reflect CSB’s mission and clarify procedures involving public meetings, according to a recent Federal Register notice.
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A Louisiana-based oil and gas drilling specialty contractor is asking the D.C. Circuit to vacate an OSHA citation stemming from a 2022 accident where a pipe ruptured at a gas well in South Texas, arguing that an accident, by itself, is not enough to establish a violation of the General Duty Clause.
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A three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit during Dec. 11 oral argument grappled with how to resolve a paper company’s challenge to OSHA enforcement citations where there are apparent deficiencies with the administrative law judge (ALJ) decision on appeal but potential limits on how the court can address them.
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OSHA is touting its use of “letters of interpretation” over the past year as a way “to ensure the consistent and transparent application of federal workplace safety and health standards,” saying the “letters provide clear explanations that support compliance and training requirements, helping to keep America’s workers safe and healthy.”
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The labor union representing correctional officers at a federal prison in Illinois is pointing to OSHA’s recent citation of the facility for its failure to ensure employees are not inadvertently exposed to lethal drugs when opening mail, in order to highlight what it says is a potentially fatal risk at similar facilities nationwide.
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A pair of Texas produce groups is renewing an industry effort to have federal courts declare that Congress violated the nondelegation doctrine when it authorized OSHA to issue whatever workplace safety standards it deems “reasonably necessary or appropriate,” with a legal strategy that is likely to increase the chances of a Supreme Court ruling.
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The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced plans to revise the Biden-era silica rule, drawing cautious optimism from industry groups that are challenging the rule in court that the changes could resolve their issues, although the groups say MSHA has not yet provided any details to be certain.
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EPA is proposing a revised occupational exposure value (OEV) for formaldehyde that shifts the focus from a chronic exposure scenario to one that aims to protect against acute effects as well as other long-term effects, such as cancer, although the revised OEV is still more stringent than OSHA’s 1992 permissible exposure limit (PEL).
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California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) officials are examining if they can work with law enforcement and health officials in several counties to expand enforcement and bring criminal charges against stone fabrication shop owners who are violating worker-protection standards, as the state continues to see a troubling increase in cases of the deadly lung disease silicosis.
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OSHA has extended through Dec. 4 the deadline for employers to respond to citations that were issued right before or during the government shutdown, explaining that shutdown days do not count toward the law’s 15-day period to contest citations.
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House Democrats on the Education and Workforce Committee are urging the Labor Department (DOL) to enforce a self-insurance rule that requires coal operators to contribute to the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (BLDTF), raising concerns that lack of enforcement increases the risk to taxpayers and the integrity of the fund.
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Labor unions are touting an agreement they reached with one of the companies challenging worker protection requirements in the Biden-era EPA risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE), saying it could serve as a model to resolve other industry parties’ opposition to staying the litigation while EPA reconsiders the rule.
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Jonathan Snare was sworn in as the new chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) Nov. 24, although it is unclear when the panel will reach a quorum allowing it to hear appeals of OSHA enforcement actions that have been adjudicated by an administrative law judge (ALJ).
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California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) officials are attacking OSHA’s proposal to remove medical evaluation requirements from its respirator standard, while offering recommendations to help ensure the standard is as protective as possible should OSHA proceed with its planned changes.
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The Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy is highlighting to the Justice Department (DOJ) worker protection laws in Washington state and Oregon that it says “impose significant burdens on small businesses” and should be preempted as part of a broader Trump administration effort to target such laws.
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Jeffrey Clark Nov. 18 ended his tenure as acting administrator of the White House office that reviews rules from OSHA and other agencies at the end of the 300 days allowed by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA) and is now serving as the office’s associate administrator, an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) spokeswoman says.
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The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is raising concerns that OSHA’s plan to modify several substance-specific respirator standards could cause unnecessary confusion for employers because EPA has referenced at least one of the standards in its chemical risk management rules and is urging the two agencies to ensure they coordinate.
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Construction-sector groups and occupational health experts are providing a mixed reaction to OSHA’s proposal to remove medical evaluation requirements from its respirator standard, with even some groups who support modifying the standard arguing that total elimination goes too far because such screenings are best practice.
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