We finally know more about OSHA’s plans for the next several months. The agency, after failing to publish a Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 regulatory agenda, finally came through on July 3, 2026, when the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a subagency within the Office of Management and Budget, published the 2026 Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions(the Agenda).
Overall, the Agenda aligns with the strong deregulatory push of the Trump administration and with the Executive Order the President signed in January 2025 directing federal agencies to eliminate 10 regulations for each new one introduced. The Agenda includes 30 proposals from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which are summarized below.
Final Rule Stage
- Open Fires in Marine Terminals (finalized April 28, 2026) — Anticipated publication: July 2026
- House Falls in Marine Terminals (finalized April 17, 2026) — Anticipated publication: July 2026
- Removal of 1920 Subpart U (COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings) — Anticipated publication: July 2026
- Procedures for Handling Retaliation Complaints Under the Whistleblower Protection Statutes — Anticipated publication: September 2026
- Procedures for Handling Retaliation Complaints Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act — Anticipated publication: November 2026
- Procedures for Handling Retaliation Complaints Under the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act — Anticipated publication: November 2026
- Procedures for the Use of Administrative Subpoenas — Anticipated publication: November 2026
- Emergency Response — Anticipated publication: April 2027
Proposed Rule Stage
- Mechanical Power Presses Update — Anticipated publication: July 2026
- Walking-Work Surfaces — Anticipated publication: July 2026
- Rapid REDON Fit-Testing Protocol: Amendment to Respiratory Protection Standard Appendix A — Anticipated publication: July 2026
- Amending the Medical Evaluation Requirements in the Respiratory Protection Standard for Certain Types of Respirators— Public Hearings: August 2026
- Safety Color Code for Marking Physical Hazards: Textiles, Sawmills, Shipyards — Public Hearings: August 2026
- Safety Standards for 16 Chemical Substances (1,2 Dibromo-3-Chloropropane, 1,3-Butadiene, 13 Carcinogens, Acrylonitrile, Asbestos, Benzene, Cadmium, Coke Oven Emissions, Cotton Dust, Ethylene Oxide, Formaldehyde, Inorganic Arsenic, Lead, Methylene Chloride, Mehylenedianiline, Vinyl Chloride) — Public Hearings: August 2026
- Construction Illumination — Public Hearings: August 2026
- Interpretation of the General Duty Clause: Limitation for Inherently Risky Professional Activities — Public Hearings: August 2026
- Walking-Working Surfaces (Fixed ladders) — Public Hearings, August 2026
- Welding in Construction Confined Space — Anticipated publication: September 2026
- Amendments to the Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard — Anticipated publication: November 2026
- Lockout/Tagout Update — Anticipated publication: November 2026
- Tree Care Standard — Anticipated publication: November 2026
- Rescission of Coordinated Enforcement Regulations — Anticipated publication: November, 2026
- Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings — Anticipated publication: December 2026
Long-Term Actions
OSHA considers these items under development but does not expect to take any new regulatory action within 12 months of the most recent regulatory agenda.
- Process Safety Management and Prevention of Major Chemical Accidents
- Shipyard Fall Protection — Scaffolds, Ladders, and Other Working Surfaces
- Communication Tower Safety
- Powered Industrial Trucks
- Workplace Violence in Health Care and Social Assistance
- Occupational Exposure to Crystalline Silica: Revisions to Table 1 in the Standard for Construction and Revisions to the Medical Surveillance Provisions for Medical Removal Protection
- OSHA Standards Improvement Project 2025
If you have any questions about OSHA’s regulatory agenda or enforcement plan — or if you have received a citation for any reason — don’t hesitate to contact Orr & Reno for assistance.
