OSHA is proposing to remove a deadline for certain fixed ladders to be equipped with personal fall arrest systems or ladder safety systems and is seeking comment on repealing or revising the requirement, after industry groups petitioned the agency to “grandfather” already-installed fixed ladders with cages or wells.
September 16, 2026
OSHA is proposing to remove a deadline for certain fixed ladders to be equipped with personal fall arrest systems or ladder safety systems and is seeking comment on repealing or revising the requirement, after industry groups petitioned the agency to “grandfather” already-installed fixed ladders with cages or wells.
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The Labor Department is proposing a $46.9 million cut to OSHA’s overall budget in fiscal year 2027 while emphasizing increased investment in compliance assistance programs and in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics that the agency says will allow it to use its limited resources more effectively.
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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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OSHA’s construction-sector advisory panel is rejecting key deregulatory measures the agency is planning for the sector, unanimously opposing a plan to rescind the construction illumination standard while narrowly opposing plans to eliminate medical evaluation requirements for certain respirators and make changes to chemical-specific standards.
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OSHA’s construction-sector advisory panel is rejecting key deregulatory measures the agency is planning for the sector, unanimously opposing a plan to rescind the construction illumination standard while narrowly opposing plans to eliminate medical evaluation requirements for certain respirators and make changes to chemical-specific standards.
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The D.C. Circuit has dismissed the Labor Department’s (DOL) attempt to preserve broad authority over enforcement of mine safety standards, finding it lacks jurisdiction to hear a pair of consolidated cases on the issue because the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) has not yet issued final decisions.
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The D.C. Circuit has dismissed the Labor Department’s (DOL) attempt to preserve broad authority over enforcement of mine safety standards, finding it lacks jurisdiction to hear a pair of consolidated cases on the issue because the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) has not yet issued final decisions.
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Two labor unions have dropped their challenges to a Biden-era TSCA rule phasing out most uses of the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), saying their concerns are better addressed through a planned rulemaking but that they will remain in the consolidated litigation as intervenors supporting the agency.
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D.C. Circuit judges focused their questions at March 30 oral argument on case-specific issues in an oil and gas drilling specialty contractor’s challenge to an OSHA citation stemming from a 2022 accident where a pipe ruptured at a gas well in south Texas, rather than engage with the firm’s broader challenge to the General Duty Clause.
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