As temperatures rise and wildfire season intensifies across the Pacific Northwest, Washington State employers must remain alert – for the safety of their workforce and to follow state law. The Washington State Department of...more
7/29/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Heat Exposure ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published over two dozen proposed rules in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025, marking a sweeping regulatory initiative that impacts multiple industries. Although...more
7/23/2025
/ Construction Industry ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Federal Register ,
General Duty Clause ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recording Requirements ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety
On July 1, 2025, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) published 18 Notices of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register, marking a sweeping regulatory initiative by the current administration. The proposals...more
7/23/2025
/ Deregulation ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Register ,
Government Agencies ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
Mining ,
MSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued its 2025 update to the National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries (Amputations NEP), renewing the program and introducing several...more
7/17/2025
/ Employer Responsibilities ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Health and Safety ,
Manufacturers ,
NAICS ,
NEP ,
OSHA ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Safety Standards ,
Workplace Safety
As summer temperatures rise across California, it’s a good time for employers to review their responsibilities under Cal/OSHA’s heat illness prevention standards. These rules apply to both outdoor and indoor workplaces and...more
Monday, June 16, 2025, marked the first day of informal public hearings on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed rule aimed at preventing heat-related injuries and illnesses in both outdoor and...more
6/19/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Heat Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Hearing ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Workplace Safety
California lawmakers have proposed new legislation to reshape the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. While this bill aims to protect workers, employers have expressed concerns about how it might...more
5/22/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automated Decision Systems (ADS) ,
California ,
Employee Rights ,
Enforcement ,
New Legislation ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Transparency ,
Workplace Safety
On May 5, 2025, the California Department of Industrial Relations made an important announcement that affects employers in the construction industry. Cal/OSHA has clarified lead exposure prevention guidance specific to...more
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) is considering the formation of a subcommittee to tackle challenges arising from the dismantling of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and...more
For businesses operating across multiple states, the complexities of workplace safety compliance can be daunting, particularly when laws and standards may vary by location. This issue is especially impactful in the dynamic...more
As of February 3, 2025, most of Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Standards have officially come to an end. This marks a significant shift for California employers who have been navigating these regulations and...more
2/13/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Final Rules ,
Labor Regulations ,
Public Health ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
In light of the ongoing and devastating fires in Los Angeles County, Cal/OSHA released new guidance to ensure the safety and health of workers involved in fire damage cleanup. Of note, Cal/OSHA’s standards may apply to some...more
1/28/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
New Guidance ,
NIOSH ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
In light of recent wildfires across Southern California, employers should make sure they are familiar with California’s wildfire smoke standard. Sadly, harmful air quality from wildfire smoke can occur anywhere in the state...more
1/13/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Health and Safety ,
OSHA ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Walkaround Rule has sparked a legal showdown between business associations and OSHA in a U.S. District Court in Texas. The agency’s rulemaking powers and...more
As Golden State employers know, a new workplace violence prevention law for non-healthcare employers went into effect on July 1, 2024. Cal/OSHA, the agency charged with overseeing workplace safety and health, has been...more
In June, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board – unanimously adopted a new standard for Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment. The standard applies to all indoor work areas where the...more
On June 20, 2024, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) unanimously adopted a new standard for Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment. A prior attempt to pass the regulation...more
Last year, California’s Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 553, which requires most employers to establish, implement, and maintain an effective Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). The law is enforceable on July 1, 2024....more
Cal/OSHA has been working on a proposed Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Standard since 2017. Now, nearly 5 years later, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board published a draft standard and announced a public hearing on Heat Illness...more
California employers take note: the non-emergency version of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention regulations are now in effect.
At the end of 2022, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to adopt the COVID-19 Prevention...more
On December 31, 2022, Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) finally sunset. However, the Standards Board has been working to pass a permanent standard to ensure it is in place before the expiration of the...more
As part of the recent legislative session, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1775, which implements new workplace safety training and certification requirements for entertainment events vendors who produce live events...more
It may come as a surprise to some, but Cal/OSHA’s workplace violence regulations currently apply only to the Health Care Industry. Cal/OSHA plans to change that.
Right now, for non-healthcare industries, Cal/OSHA regulates...more
As we head into the summer months, employers with outdoor worksites in California may wish to review their Heat Illness Prevention Plans (HIPP) and obligations under Cal/OSHA’s outdoor heat illness prevention standard....more
At the end of April, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to approve the Third Readoption of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The revised version of the ETS took effect on May 6, 2022....more