OSHA Warns on 'Pending Inspection' Emails

OSHA on Friday warned about a phishing scam that claims to advise recipients of an upcoming compliance inspection.
The subject line contains titles such as “OSHA Penalty Guidelines Update,” “Correct Hazards Before Inspection,” “Review These Guides Before the Visit” and “Self Inspection Toolkit for the Forthcoming OSHA Review.”
“DOL and OSHA do NOT send notifications about upcoming compliance inspections,” read the July 27 post on the safety agency’s LinkedIn feed. “If you believe you’ve received a phishing message, please share this post with your colleagues.”
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OSHA has proposed deleting requirements for medical evaluations before employees are permitted to use certain classes of respirators, as part of its deregulatory initiative.
The rule would eliminate the medical evaluation requirement for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) such as N95 masks, or loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). The changes would not affect medical evaluation requirements for other types of respirators such as tight-fitting air-purifying or supplied-air respirators.
The medical evaluation requirements became an issue for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies that promptly reacted to exposure risk by providing employees with personal protective masks sometimes faced OSHA inspections and citations when they did not complete medical certification before providing the masks.
In the proposed rule, OSHA recognizes the lack of serious medical threats posed by use of FFRs and PAPRs. In the event that an employee experiences medical symptoms from use of such masks, employers would be required to obtain the medical evaluation on a case-by-case basis before continuing their use with that worker.
The proposal does not change employers’ responsibility to provide PPE, or to fit test and train employees on the proper use of respirators. OSHA is accepting comments on the proposed rule through Sept. 2, 2025.
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