OSHA does not have a specific rule that addresses workplace violence in general industry or healthcare although it has long discussed the need for such rules. During the Biden Administration some progress was made to advance a workplace violence rule in healthcare. However, such a proposed rule, “Workplace Violence in Health Care and Social Assistance,” was moved to the Long-Term Action item in the Spring 2025 regulatory agenda. This effectively means that nothing will happen for at least a year and given the current deregulatory efforts, likely much longer than that.

OSHA can cite healthcare employers (or general industry) for workplace violence hazards under the General Duty clause. A recent case in the 10th Circuit affirming such a citation against a psychiatric hospital for failing to protect employees from patient violence illustrates OSHA’s enforcement commitment particularly in healthcare. In UHS of Delaware v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Court, on February 13, 2026, found the employer failed to adopt reasonable safety measures such as limiting patient access to work areas and potential weapons and it did not provide adequate security staff or communication methods to address incidents of violent behavior. The Court also opined that the employers’ own written workplace violence policies can help establish feasibility, i.e., OSHA can point to employers failing to follow the protections they have identified internally to support citations.

In the absence of an imminent federal rule governing workplace violence in healthcare, many states have moved forward to fill the vacuum. New York is one recent example. On December 12, 2025, Governor Hochul signed a bill that will require hospitals and nursing homes in New York to establish workplace violence prevention programs and to conduct annual workplace safety and security assessments beginning in 2027 and requiring updates to plans to address new risks. These annual reviews must be tailored to each individual facility and should consider items including: workplace violence incident reports and logs; complaints raised by employees, patients, unions and visitors; the hospital’s layout and access points; engineering controls and communication systems; and employee training policies and security procedures.

Other states have implemented similar laws with many others planning to do so particularly in healthcare although some states, notably California, have already implemented general industry workplace violence laws. Employers need to be diligent about ensuring they are monitoring these developments where they do business.

As part of OSHA’s efforts to enhance compliance assistance, it launched its “Safety Champions Program” (SCP) effective February 24, 2026. SCP is a new program for employers to develop and implement an effective safety and health program. The SCP incorporates seven core elements of OSHA’s Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs which are: (1) management leadership; (2) worker protection; (3) hazard identification and assessment; (4) hazard prevention and control; (5) education and training; (6) program evaluation and improvement; and (7) communication and coordination for host employers, contractors, and staffing agencies.

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In June 2025, the United States Department of Labor announced a planned expansion of its opinion letter program intended to increase compliance assistance across several agencies including OSHA. The initiative is intended to reinforce OSHA’s commitment to offering valuable compliance assistance for workers, employers, and other stakeholders to help them comprehend how federal labor laws might apply to specific workplace situations. OSHA’s letter of interpretation provide official explanations of the agency’s requirements and how they apply to specific workplace situations and hazardous conditions raised by employers, employees, or other parties.

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The OSHA Chronicle would like to thank the team at Matrix New World Engineering for its guest blog article.

Whether you’re operating a small print shop, a food processing plant, or an advanced manufacturing facility, chances are your employees encounter a variety of chemicals on a daily basis. Some of these may be obvious, like solvents or disinfectants, while others are more subtle, such as vapors released during routine processes.

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OSHA recently renewed its national emphasis program focused on preventing amputations in manufacturing, effective June 27. The national emphasis program will remain in place for five years, and programmed inspections may begin on September 25. The renewal of the program is not surprising, given that LOTO and machine guarding are continuously listed in OSHA’s annual Top 10 most frequently cited standards. Amputations are also a common reason why manufacturing employers are required to self-report a severe injury, which typically triggers an OSHA inspection.

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A recent standard interpretation letter dated April 29, 2025, addressed whether employers may use software-generated documents in place of the OSHA-required injury and illness recordkeeping forms, specifically Forms 300 (injury log) and 300A (annual summary).

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As previously discussed on our blog, in September of 2024, New York passed a law requiring retail employers with 10 or more retail employees anywhere in New York to take certain safeguards to protect employees from workplace violence with staggered compliance deadlines. The first deadline of June 2, 2025, required implementing a model workplace violence policy and model training to be published by NYS DOL (or a policy/training that equals or exceeds the model’s standards). On May 29, 2025, NYSDOL released its model workplace violence training policy model training (in both English and Spanish) and FAQs. See here.

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