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 shutdown ...