OSHA - General

On July 14, 2025, the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) announced it is reducing penalties for violations by small employers and those with clean safety records. The agency provided updated guidance on its penalty and debt collection procedures.

OSHA Issues Updated Penalty and Debt Collection Guidelines to Support Small Businesses and Encourage Prompt Hazard Abatement On July 14, 2025, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued significant updates to its penalty and debt collection guidelines, aimed at reducing bur

On July 8, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a stay in Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees , No. 24A1174, permitting the implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14210, which directs federal agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Admi

OSHA Proposes Changes to Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued several proposed rules, including two that impact employers’ recordkeeping and reporting obligations. Occupational Injury and Illness Recordkeeping

On July 1, 2025, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) related to twenty-six current standards. While some of the NPRMs will impact very narrow categories of employers, such as the NPRM seeking to clarify and narrow the application of t

On July 1, 2025, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to clarify and narrow the application of the General Duty Clause, 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1), as it pertains to inherently risky activities that are integral to certain professi

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), established under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970, seeks to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers in the United States by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, education,

OSHA Renews its National Emphasis Program on Amputations in the Manufacturing Industry The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration renewed its National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries (NEP) on June 27, 2025, superseding the prior version.

Recently, sweltering summer heat settled over parts of Canada, especially in Ontario. There is good reason to believe that this will happen again this summer, and will impact both workers who are outside in the sun and those who work indoors. While there are currently no specific occupational health

Tomorrow (July 1, 2025), OSHA and MSHA will publish over 30 proposed rules, many of which request public comment, in the Federal Register. Included in

I recently had the pleasure of joining Peter Ricchiuti on the Out to Lunch podcast for an episode titled “Safety First.” We had an in-depth conversation about how companies can stay compliant with…

On June 24, 2025, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will conduct a virtual public meeting to discuss the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The primary focus of this meeting is to gather stakeholder input and prepare

The Jones Walker Labor & Employment Practice Group recently issued a client alert featuring a comprehensive list of key areas we have seen affect employers' operations. One of the most critical…

Senate confirmation of David Keeling, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, began on June 6, 2025. The testimony, given during the first week of his nomination process, focused on his qualifications, professional background,

On June 5, 2025, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding the Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget. The proposed budget includes significant funding reductions for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), speci

The hearing on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Standard began on June 16, 2025. The hearing is the third step in what OSHA describes as a seven-step rulemaking process. It takes place against t

Despite predictions by many that the Biden-era proposed heat rule would be scrapped, it appears that it is moving forward. While there may be some changes to the proposal, it seems we may have a heat…

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on May 21, 2025, seeks to significantly expand the scope of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) by extending its protections to public employees at the federal, state, and local levels. The bill, titled the “ Public Service Worker Protection

This is the thirteenth installment in a series of articles intended to provide the reader with a very high-level overview of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and how both influence workplaces in the United States. By th

OSHA Issues Updated Guidance on Site-Specific Targeting Inspections On May 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a press release updating the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) Site-Specific Targeting (SST) inspection program focusing on workplaces with the highest injury