Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has approved significant revisions to California’s workplace first aid requirements for both construction and general industry. For general industry employers, the most notable change is the elimination of the longstanding requirement that first aid kit contents be approved by a consulting physician. Instead, employers may
Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 14, 2026, Cal/OSHA released a revised discussion draft of proposed changes to California’s heat illness prevention standards, Section 3395 (Outdoor Heat Illness Prevention) and Section 3396 (Indoor Heat Illness Prevention). The proposal continues Cal/OSHA’s effort to implement Assembly Bill 2243 while making California’s indoor and outdoor heat standards more consistent in
On August 1, 2026, Louisiana’s Behind the Counter Protection Act (LBCPA) will expand Louisiana’s existing labor and employment laws by establishing new employment provisions and criminal penalties for threats and acts of workplace violence committed against customer-facing workers. The law applies primarily to workers in retail stores, restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies, and similar
Employers often approach workplace accidents and resulting OSHA citations as discrete regulatory events — managed by safety teams, resolved through settlement or litigation, and ultimately closed. As many employers come to learn, OSHA inspections and citations frequently serve as the entry point into a much broader and more complex risk landscape—one that can implicate criminal
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 22, 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed Executive Order No. 17, Protecting Workers from Extreme Heat. The Executive Order, which took effect immediately, does not, standing alone, create a new private-sector heat standard. Instead, it directs City agencies to develop multilingual heat illness prevention guidance, adopt heat
Seyfarth Synopsis: Federal OSHA has proposed new rulemakings seek to minimize respiratory protection requirements for employers which may require employers to update practices in 2026.
In June 2026, OSHA has advanced a proposal to amend the Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) and scheduled virtual public hearings on this and other proposed rulemakings.
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By: Ilana Morady
Cal/OSHA recently issued a revised draft of its general industry workplace violence prevention standard, offering the clearest indication yet of how the Division intends to build on SB 553. Although the rule is not final, the current draft reflects meaningful stakeholder input and signals where compliance expectations are likely headed. Employers should
Seyfarth Synopsis: Virginia passes heat illness statute to develop VOSH heat illness standards regulating private employers by May 1, 2028.
With the federal OSHA heat illness standard in rulemaking limbo, the Commonwealth of Virginia officially joined the growing list of states taking workplace heat illness prevention into their own hands. With the Governor’s approval of
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) has issued a proposed regulation (Section 331.8. Representatives during the Inspection) that allows employees to designate a representative, including another employee, a third party, or the collective bargaining representative, during workplace safety inspections conducted by Cal/OSHA.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health
Seyfarth Synopsis: California and New York will soon be requiring Narcan in some workplace first aid kits. While Narcan provides a meaningful, prompt, and potentially lifesaving response to opioid overdoses, effective implementation of a Narcan program may require employee training and an expanded first aid response structure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)