Labor advocates and their supporters in Congress are preparing to launch a long-awaited push aimed at better protecting workers from heat stress, with a public awareness campaign slated for later this month and legislation requiring OSHA to set a safety standard expected later this summer.
September 17, 2026
Homebuilders and other industry groups have amended their pending complaint challenging the anti-retaliation provisions in OSHA's recordkeeping rule to account for Trump administration rollbacks though their revised suit maintains most of the claims the groups made in their original complaint.
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OSHA is promising to carefully scrutinize and document its decision-making before issuing regulatory guidance in response to a report from the Labor Department's Inspector General (IG) that found the Obama administration did not establish adequate steps for distributing regulatory guidance, opening the agency up to legal challenges.
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Rejecting petro-chemical industry arguments, an OSHA review panel has upheld an enforcement action against an Oklahoma refiner for alleged process safety management (PSM) violations, a ruling that industry officials say “dramatically” expands the PSM rule's applicability to boilers and other “interconnected” units even if hazardous chemicals are not present in sufficient quantities.
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The Labor Department (DOL) has begun implementing a recently enacted data management law that requires agencies to better share and manage data, a move that observers say will allow OSHA and other agencies to bolster inspections and enforcement to target employers who have multiple violations across the different agencies.
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The Trump administration is once again proposing to increase the budget for EPA's toxics office, a rare bump up for an EPA program, as it works to implement the revised Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), an effort that is a priority to industry and agency leaders as they gain insight on the resources needed to operate the new program.
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Supreme Court justices at March 27 oral argument appeared unlikely to completely overturn a key precedent granting deference to OSHA and other federal agencies' interpretations of their regulations, though several of the justices appeared open to the Trump administration's call to narrow the deference.
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OSHA is considering grandfathering older trucks from any new standards it may develop as it works to update its long-time industrial truck safety rules, an approach the agency says it is considering as it works to limit any potential new costs to employers.
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EPA says its decision to shift its assessment of formaldehyde from its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program, known for its conservative and broad hazard assessments, to its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) program, which is likely to narrow any assessment, is justified because it could result in new rules.
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A federal court in Oklahoma has agreed to a joint request from OSHA and industry groups to review the agency's revised recordkeeping and reporting rule, opening the door to a court split on the issue as another court in Washington, DC, prepares to review competing claims over the rule from state officials and citizen groups.
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A coalition convened by NIOSH is calling for more research to limit workplace harms for firefighters, law enforcement and other public safety workers, prioritizing research on ways to reduce chronic and infectious diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, motor vehicle injuries and workplace violence, an issue that Democrats are also seeking to address.
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With the backing of the Labor Department, major manufacturing and agriculture industry groups are asking a federal judge to resume their stayed litigation challenging OSHA's reporting and recordkeeping rule, with the industry groups signaling that the Trump administration rollback of the Obama-era measure they originally challenged did not go far enough.
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Groups representing major industries are urging EPA to quickly finalize its rollback of an Obama administration rule that strengthened the Risk Management Plan (RMP) facility accident prevention program, fearing expected litigation over the rollback could extend beyond some of the existing RMP rule’s compliance deadlines.
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House Democrats appear likely to step up their oversight of EPA’s implementation of the revised Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) after the agency sidestepped their calls to ban workplace uses of methylene chloride in paint strippers, an action they said would not protect workers.
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Facing widespread criticism that its first-time ban on consumer uses of paint strippers containing methylene chloride does not protect workers, the agency's top toxics official is leaving the door open to taking future action to limit workplace risks under the revised toxics law though she stopped short of pledging to ban the chemical's commercial uses that many critics are seeking.
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A just-issued analysis of new OSHA data from a labor group shows a drop in the agency's “complicated and high-impact inspections” and a “historic low” number of inspectors even as workplace fatalities increased, suggesting a road map for lawmakers as they weigh the agency's budget request to hire nearly three dozen new inspectors and other personnel.
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State and local emergency response officials are renewing their call for EPA to promulgate an accident prevention rule to address chemical spills under the Clean Water Act (CWA), criticizing the agency's decision to drop plans for such a rule as a dereliction of duty and arguing recently released EPA data does nothing to support the agency's decision.
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Republicans and the chemical industry are rejecting Democrats' calls to require industry to share data with first responders under the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, a step intended to fill the gap left by EPA's planned rollback of an Obama-era risk management plan (RMP) rule.
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The Trump administration is requesting a slight increase for OSHA’s overall budget for fiscal year 2020, with some additional funds aimed at hiring new whistleblower and facility inspectors in high-hazard industries, a plan that is likely to ease concerns from Democrats, who have highlighted what they say is the agency's inadequate inspection force.
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The Labor Department (DOL) is asking a federal court to stay litigation brought by state and citizen groups challenging OSHA's bid to delay provisions of the Obama-era recordkeeping rule for 2017 until after the court resolves the groups' separate challenge to the Trump administration's measure rolling back the rule's requirements.
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