United States: Health & Safety

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Employment law and labour law articles and thought leadership, podcasts, videos and webinars from expert sources across the legal world. Explore articles covering topics such as Discrimination, Employee Benefits and Compensation, Health and Safety, Unfair/Wrongful Dismissal, Whistleblowing, Employment Rights, Outsourcing and Redundancy.
Article
Ready to Respond: What Employers Should Know About OSHA’s New Opioid Guidance
On 24 September 2026, the US Department of Labor’s (Department) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new fact sheet, “Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications” (Fact Sheet),1 addressing how employers and workers can prepare for and respond to opioid overdoses in the workplace. Although the Fact Sheet is informational and does not impose new compliance requirements, it provides employers with a timely framework for evaluating workplace overdose preparedness.
United States Employment
KG
K&L Gates LLP
Article
ATSDR Seeks Public Comment On Draft ToxProfiles For Cadmium And Hexachlorocyclopentadiene
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has released draft toxicological profiles for cadmium and hexachlorocyclopentadiene, two priority hazardous substances under the Superfund program. These comprehensive evaluations establish new minimal risk levels based on updated scientific evidence and propose health-based reference values that will inform regulatory risk assessments worldwide.
United States Environment
BC
Bergeson & Campbell
Article
Nonprofit Employer FAQs: Protecting Staff, Clients, And Mission In The Current Immigration Enforcement Environment
Nonprofit organizations face complex legal obligations when immigration enforcement activity occurs in or near their workplaces. This guidance addresses the intersection of workplace safety duties, employee rights, nondiscrimination requirements, and fiduciary responsibilities that nonprofit leaders must navigate. Prepared by leading legal organizations, it provides practical frameworks for protecting staff, clients, and organizational mission during immigration enforcement encounters.
United States Employment
LS
Lowenstein Sandler
Article
Practical Implications Of California’s Proposed Revisions To Emergency Medical Services And First-Aid Regulations
California's workplace safety agency has proposed significant revisions to first-aid regulations that would affect nearly all employers in the state. The amendments would establish new requirements for first-aid kit contents, workplace hazard assessments, and employee communication protocols. Will your organization's current first-aid program meet these enhanced standards when they take effect?
United States Employment
L-
Littler - Canada
Article
Fifth Circuit Vacates EPA’s Methylene Chloride Rule: A Landmark Decision Reshaping TSCA Section 6
The Fifth Circuit's landmark decision in East Fork Enterprises v. EPA fundamentally reshapes how the agency must conduct chemical risk evaluations under TSCA, requiring condition-of-use-specific determinations and consideration of actual workplace protections. The ruling vacates EPA's methylene chloride risk management rule and establishes new standards for evaluating unreasonable risk that reject precautionary approaches and demand stronger evidentiary support. These holdings will force EPA to revise its p
United States Environment
CM
Crowell & Moring LLP
Article
Mental Health Parity Bulletin Restates Best Practices For Evaluating Compliance
On September 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued “Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2026-03” to clarify compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTL). Under the 2013 final rule implementing MHPAEA, health plans and issuers must use comparable processes, strategies, evidentiary standards, or other factors when applying NQTLs and they cannot apply such methods more stringently to benefits for mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) compared to benefits for general medical and surgical care. While the bulletin doesn’t break much new ground on compliance, it does reaffirm existing enforcement priorities and expectations.
United States Employment
CM
Crowell & Moring LLP
Article
EPA Draft TSCA Risk Evaluation Of Ethylene Dibromide Identifies Significant Contributions To Unreasonable Risk To Workers And Occupational Non-Users
The EPA has released its draft risk evaluation for ethylene dibromide under TSCA, identifying unreasonable risks to workers and occupational non-users from inhalation and dermal exposure across ten conditions of use. With a February 2027 court-ordered deadline looming, EPA must navigate public comments, peer review, and finalize the evaluation while broader questions remain about the agency's approach to assessing worker risks and coordinating with OSHA on risk management.
United States Environment
BC
Bergeson & Campbell
Article
CAL/OSHA Further Revises Draft Standard on Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
California employers face new requirements for workplace violence prevention plans as the state's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board prepares to finalize a comprehensive standard. The revised draft addresses hazard assessments, reporting procedures, emergency response protocols, and employee training, with several key modifications from earlier versions. What specific changes have been made to the standard, and how should employers prepare for compliance?
United States Employment
BT
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Article
Some Like It Hot! Cal/OSHA Revises Its Heat Illness Proposal
Cal/OSHA has released a revised discussion draft of proposed changes to California's heat illness prevention standards, expanding outdoor high-heat procedures to more industries and introducing new acclimatization requirements for employees. The August 2026 proposal aims to harmonize indoor and outdoor heat standards while significantly affecting compliance obligations for California employers.
United States Employment
SS
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Article
Oregon OSHA Pursues Workplace Violence Prevention Rule For Healthcare Employers
Oregon OSHA has proposed a comprehensive workplace violence prevention rule for healthcare employers, implementing Senate Bill 537's statutory requirements. The proposal mandates periodic security assessments, development of prevention programs, and annual training for hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, and hospice programs. While the healthcare industry broadly supports violence prevention efforts, questions remain about whether the rule's training requirements exceed legislative
United States Employment
LM
Littler Mendelson
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