California lawmakers are advancing a bill to require California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) to develop new rules to protect outdoor workers from “transboundary” pollution -- specifically hazards posed by untreated sewage and industrial wastewater that cross the border from Baja California in Mexico.
September 16, 2026
Employers and worker-safety groups are providing final comments on California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) proposal to update its workplace inspection “walkaround” rules governing in part who can serve as employee representatives during visits, with some calling for a pause to the process until litigation over federal OSHA’s walkaround rule is resolved.
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A California lawmaker is pursuing legislation to require the Cal/OSHA standards board to adopt new standards to protect outdoor workers from “transboundary” pollution, citing hazards posed by untreated sewage and industrial wastewater that crosses the border from Baja California in Mexico.
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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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A Colorado House panel has advanced legislation aimed at pushing back on Trump OSHA regulatory rollbacks by enshrining in state law a broad interpretation of the federal General Duty Clause, although it remains uncertain whether the bill can reach the Senate, in part because it currently lacks a Senate sponsor.
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The 4th Circuit has scheduled oral argument for May 5 in litigation where South Carolina is seeking to reinstate its challenge to OSHA’s requirement that states match annual increases to federal minimum and maximum OSH Act penalties after a federal judge last year dismissed for a second time the state’s challenge.
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California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) standards board is requesting district attorneys (DAs) in seven counties expand enforcement and bring criminal charges against engineered stone fabrication shop owners who are violating crystalline silica worker-protection standards, as the state continues to see a rise in cases of the deadly lung disease silicosis.
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Attorneys are advising employers to closely monitor a new California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) proposal to update its workplace inspection “walkaround” rules governing who can serve as employee representatives during visits, warning that the agency’s proposal goes beyond a controversial Biden administration regulation opposed by industry.
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Employer and industry groups are pressing California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) to scale back certain provisions of a long-overdue rule to update the agency’s first-aid kit requirements for general industry and construction companies, including requirements for additional protections for unique hazards and a new 3-4-minute time limit for employees to access kits.
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The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) is proposing to develop a nationwide program to certify and license shops that cut fabricated stone containing crystalline silica to ensure the practice is performed safely and prevents the lung disease silicosis, countering advocacy groups in California that are seeking a total ban on the products.
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