On October 16, 2024, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced expanded guidance for animal slaughtering and processing industry inspections that supersedes previous inspection guidance. Check out our in-depth post concerning this regulatory update on Husch Blackwell’s Climate Solutions Legal Digest blog.
This past July, OSHA’s Colorado offices published a Local Emphasis Program regarding workplace hazards associated with cannabis production. Check out our blog post on Cannabis Law Now.
On August 30, 2024, OSHA formally published its heat safety standard for indoor and outdoor work in the Federal Register, starting a 120-day public comment period.
On July 2, OSHA unveiled its proposed heat safety rule, currently awaiting official publication in the Federal Register. This rule aims to protect employees from heat-related injuries and illnesses by establishing comprehensive requirements for employers, as outlined in a White House Fact Sheet.
The proposed rule is part of broader effort by the Biden Administration to respond to the impacts of climate change. Once the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, the public is encouraged to submit written comments on the rule. Key rule provisions include:
OSHA has been working a proposed standard for indoor and outdoor heat illness since 2021. This month the proposed standard has been sent to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review.
While the language of the proposed standard has not be released, the rule is expected to include temperatures that trigger requirements under the rule such as mandatory rest breaks. OSHA has previously stated the rules to protect workers from heat illness would be followed after the heat index reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
On May 20, 2024, OSHA published finalized revisions to the Hazard Communication Standard (the “HazCom standard”). The HazCom standard is a commonly cited standard in OSHA inspections. The revisions to the rule address the amount and quality of information on labels and SDS and increase access to important hazard information for workers and first responders.
On March 29, 2024, OSHA released the final version of its new rule that could reshape future OSHA inspections.
Remember injury and illness data must be reported to OSHA electronically by March 2, 2024. OSHA does not send out notifications or reminders to establishments to report injury and illness data (i.e., required data from the Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and Form 301 Injury and Illness Incident Report).
On December 11, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced that it will be “replacing traditional hard hats used by its employees with more modern safety helmets.”
On December 21, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) unveiled an unofficial version of its proposed Emergency Response Rule. The Emergency Response Rule, if finalized, would replace an existing rule applicable to firefighters with a much broader rule that also covers emergency medical personnel and search-and-rescue workers. The Rule aims to resolve what the agency has described as a “patchwork” of unrelated standards for emergency workers and will address a variety of workplace hazards, including exposure to toxic chemicals, equipment failures, infectious diseases, and the mental health impact of first-responder positions.