OSHA's Back! Next Steps For Employers

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is officially back to work now that the government shutdown has ended. Now that OSHA has a full complement of agency staff available, employers should be prepared for agency operations that had temporarily ceased because they were not deemed "essential" to resume, including inspections under OSHA's recently announced Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program. Likewise, new agency positions related to rulemaking and other policy positions may soon emerge.

During the shutdown, inspections were primarily limited to high-gravity serious violations, imminent danger situations, and responses to fatalities and catastrophes. OSHA also continued necessary enforcement activities on certain open cases when needed to meet the agency's six-month statutory deadlines, including issuing citations. Thus, employers should be mindful of any deadlines associated with receipt of citations or other enforcement activities during the