Wastewater from data centers may pose risks to treatment workers and trigger OSHA obligations, especially for facilities following EPA’s voluntary treatment standards for industrial water reuse, OSHA observers and wastewater officials are warning.
September 16, 2026
The House Education and Workforce Committee has approved on party lines legislation to bar OSHA from finalizing the controversial Biden-era heat standard proposal, rejecting Democrats’ efforts to substitute legislation that would require OSHA to promulgate a heat standard similar to the proposed rule.
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OSHA is “highly unlikely” to finalize a national heat illness standard before the end of the Trump administration, despite its October 2027 goal, a former agency official says, noting OSHA’s plan to significantly revise the Biden-era proposal and seek additional comment even though the standards office has had large staffing cuts.
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OSHA is planning to take “final action” on a Biden-era proposal that would require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace by October 2027, according to the agency’s latest Unified Agenda of regulatory actions, although it remains uncertain what that action will be.
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The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is urging its members to lobby lawmakers to back legislation that would bar OSHA from finalizing the Biden-era proposal for a national heat standard, saying the proposed rule would undo much of the relief for small businesses the Trump administration has put in place.
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Colorado has expanded its heat standard covering agricultural workers to include both hot and cold temperature extremes and all other types of workers, potentially increasing pressure on OSHA to finalize its long-pending heat standard or encouraging other states to take similar action in the absence of a federal rule.
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New analysis from the progressive economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative finds OSHA’s failure to enact a national heat standard is contributing to as many as 1,500 worker deaths per year and that the lack of federal action is tied to “regulatory paralysis” driven by coordinated opposition from large business organizations.
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Republican senators have introduced legislation to bar OSHA from finalizing the Biden-era proposal for a national heat standard following a letter to OSHA last month urging the agency to instead focus on “pragmatic solutions for preventing heat-related hazards in the workplaces.”
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OSHA’s renewed and revised National Emphasis Program (NEP) for heat hazards is drawing mixed reviews from experts, with employer-focused attorneys noting inspectors will still be able to expand investigations to address heat concerns and worker advocates decrying the lack of numeric inspection targets and other changes.
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New Mexico is proposing to strengthen its proposed heat illness and injury prevention rule by adding a new section on presumption of violation, advancing the measure ahead of its formal adoption later this year, the latest in a growing number of such state regulations while the future of an OSHA heat standard remains uncertain.
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