Trump Administration Seen Ditching Heat Rule

Sentiment is growing that the incoming Trump administration will abandon the pending OSHA heat safety rule, both Agriculture Dive and Scientific American reported .
Ashley Brightwell, partner in Atlanta-based Alston & Bird’s labor and employment group, called the finalization of the rule “highly unlikely” before Biden leaves office. The standard would also face congressional and legal challenges, and the Trump administration could abandon the rulemaking process altogether, she told Agriculture Dive.
President-elect Donald Trump on the campaign trail never directly addressed the OSHA proposal, Scientific American reported.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday said private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, down 8.4% from 2022.
Labor Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, Douglas Parker, issued a statement, that said, in part, “Looking at the BLS report and our own recent analysis showing fewer worker deaths in OSHA’s purview, our formula of strong enforcement combined with collaboration between government, labor and the private sector to make workplace safety and health as a core value is making a difference in the lives of America’s workers.”
BLS said the decrease was driven by a 56.6% drop in illnesses to 200,100 cases in 2023, the lowest number since 2019. This was due to a 72.6% decrease in respiratory illness cases, down to 100,200 cases in 2023.
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Global Sports Resources, a supplier of recreational facility equipment, has been sentenced following a 2022 workplace fatality, and ordered to pay $200,000 in penalties to two local Alberta organizations.
Under Canada’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, a creative sentencing option allows fines to be directed toward organizations or projects that advance workplace safety rather than paid directly as penalties.
Global manufactures boards and glass for hockey rinks pleaded guilty to one count of failing to take reasonable precautions to secure equipment that could potentially be dislodged and harm a worker.
In a March 2022 incident, a worker was performing demolition and reclamation work when a support beam broke loose, striking them, leading to sustained fatal injuries.
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