OSHA News February 2026

OSHA News for March 2026 Hello, This month was nonstop classes. The car went thousands of miles. I got to teach 5 Harwood grant classes. Machine Guarding, Lockout, Fire, Confined Space and Silica. It is good to see OSHA hiring. They have been down in staffing for a while. (See Osha #1) I do not hear any evidence of OSHA relaxing enforcing at union facilities. (See OSHA #2) One of my largest cases (See Other #2) just settled for $33 million. They picked the jury and settled after the opening. Caroline Laatsh, devoted mother, public servant, athlete, and artist, passed away on March 1, 2026. From 1987 to 1994, Caroline worked for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), where she was involved in significant enforcement cases concerning lead exposure and tuberculosis. Her work reflected her commitment to protecting workers and upholding the law with integrity and resolve. This month PPT is From the Witness Stand. It was my speech at the Construction Safety Conference this year. It was good to talk with so many people and see the success of certification at the construction companies. I had a good crowd at the Underground Contractors Association meeting. l covered the excavation safety review and talked about the accidents and common OSHA excavations citations. I liked Joseph Zawacki, M.B.A., who did an outstanding job explaining how a large organization should evaluate the core competencies for its safety professionals. A New England hospital was cited willful bloodborne. Live bloodborne training was required not CBT. I am requesting the citation under FOIA. I found 17 trench deaths in 2025. Almost all of them had a spoil pile 6 ft high. 84 people have passed BCSP Certification this year. Congrats! We got up in the 60’s this month! John OSHA News Update 1. OSHA is hiring $50,000. https://lnkd.in/g8t8KXNi 2. Labor Department attorneys should refrain from pursuing legal enforcement in unionized workplaces, Labor Solicitor Jonathan Berry said in an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg Law. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/top-dol-lawyer-urges-relaxed-enforcement-in-union-workplaces 3. Horizon Biofuels OSHA General Duty clause citation. Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: OSH ACT of 1970 Section 5(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to the hazards of explosion, deflagration, and fire by working in a wood pellet and animal bedding manufacturing facility without adequate controls to prevent or mitigate wood dust explosions, in that: a. On or about July 29, 2025, the employer operated Cresswood HF wood grinder, Bliss 442 hammermill, Surge mixer, and interior bucket elevators without controls to prevent ferrous metals from scrap wood from entering the equipment and creating sparks or heat, which can serve as an ignition source for an explosion, deflagration, or fire. b. On or about July 29, 2025, the employer operated Cresswood HF wood grinder, Bliss 442 hammermill, Surge mixer, and interior bucket elevators without controls to prevent hot equipment surfaces, such as from bearings on the Surge mixer and the bucket elevator, which can ignite wood dust particles, causing an explosion, deflagration, or fire. c. On or about July 29, 2025, the employer operated Cresswood HF wood grinder, Bliss 442 hammermill, Surge mixer, and interior bucket elevators without controls to prevent belt friction within the bucket elevators as a result of improper alignment of the belt, allowing it to rub against the enclosure, which can serve as an ignition source for an explosion, deflagration, or fire 4. Companies are buying knit 10 cal gloves vs the rubber gloves. I had not seen this before. It is comfortable. These are not shock protection and create a hazard if the shock hazard is present. 5. I found 45 specific arc flash incidents identified in the SIR 2025 data (not complete 2025). An arc flash occurs when an electric current leaves its intended path and travels through the air from one conductor to another, or to the ground, often resulting in temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and a violent pressure wave. Here is the breakdown of these injuries by equipment: Primary Sources of Arc Flashes Switchboards, Panels, and Fuses (42%): 19 incidents. These typically occur during troubleshooting, voltage testing, or cleaning inside energized panels. Power Lines and Transformers (29%): 13 incidents. These are often the most severe, involving high-voltage utility work. Electrical Wiring & Parts (18%): 8 incidents. Often caused by accidental contact with hand tools or nails during construction. 6. Recordkeeping. Are using tweezer to remove a particle in the eyelid (not the eye) recordable? Per OSHA now. What is first aid? using irrigation, tweezers, cotton swab or other simple means to remove splinters or foreign material from areas other than the eye; https://lnkd.in/g5kUSxBV 7. Cincinnati Food poultry plant explosion kills worker. Others hurt. https://lnkd.in/gae7cu2J 8. OSHA staffing at record lows. https://lnkd.in/gKv-DcgF 9. LAKE WORTH, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Land O’ Lakes-based petroleum tank services contractor for exposing workers to chemical and respiratory hazards after an employee was fatally exposed to benzene and toluene when they entered a fuel storage tank at a Lake Worth worksite in July 2025 10. GIBSON CITY, ILL – Federal safety inspectors have found a central Illinois grain company endangered workers and violated federal law by failing to properly guard and lockout/tagout dangerous machinery during grain bin entry, which led to a seasonal laborer suffering a serious foot injury. https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/chicago/20260224 11. The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration concluded United States Steel Corp. and MPW Industrial Services Inc. exposed workers at the Clairton Coke Works plant to unsafe working conditions including explosion, struck-by, and high-pressure injection hazards. Federal safety inspectors determined that United States Steel Corp. failed to use required safety management and energy control practices for hazardous work involving flammable gas. OSHA also concluded that cleaning services contractor MPW Industrial Services failed to provide a relief valve for a high-pressure water system and did not coordinate energy control practices for hazardous work involving flammable gas. OSHA cited United States Steel Corp. with seven serious and one other-than-serious violations and proposed $118,214 in penalties. The agency cited MPW Industrial Services Inc. with four serious and two other-than-serious violations and proposed $61,473 in penalties. Other News 1) A record award for jury trial in Illinois in a worker-related death. It is always better to settle a case instead of taking it to the trial. Both sides win. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/salvi-schostok-%26-pritchard_10-am-press-conference-a-madison-county-activity-7434221164392075264-E0SS?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAIBItABQBDPoUhLVeFxpTWAgr5E2vxyQDk 2) BEN CRANE and Ervin Nevitt of Coplan + Crane and Steven Groves and Caroline Alexander of Groves Powers secured a $33 million settlement for the family of a 29-year-old man who tragically died in Illinois as a result of a dangerous railroad maneuver called a “blind shove.” “While nothing can replace the life that was lost, this settlement holds those responsible accountable and reinforces the importance of safety on our railroads,” said Ben Crane. This settlement not only brings justice to the family but also shines a spotlight on the need for safe practices in railroads nationwide. 3. 1 killed, 2 injured when 8-story tower explodes in North Carolina, officials say Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article314802230.html#storylink=cpy 4. Two dead in MI from confined space gases. https://lnkd.in/guGkuHXa 5. In January 2026, ISO published ISO 3941:2026 and introduced Class L, a dedicated fire classification for fires involving lithium-ion cells and batteries where no metallic lithium is present. Why this matters: Li-ion incidents are not “just another Class A/B scenario.” Thermal runaway, high energy density, toxic by-products, and the need for cooling/thermal control change both tactics and the way we evaluate extinguisher performance. OSHA CITATIONS 6/20/2025 This is discontinued Safety Training at Non-Profits (Check Sites for Starting Dates) OSHA 3015 CSC Mar 16-18 Harwood Grant Rockford Feb 2 OSHA 500 CSC Mar 23-25 OSHA 511 Apr 1-4 For free Harwood grant training https://cpelearn.niu.edu/susan-harwood-training-grant-program/ NIU is Northern Illinois University OSHA Education Center http://www.nsec.niu.edu CSC is the Construction Safety Council in Hillside. Www.Buildsafe.org TRMA is Three Rivers Manufacturers Association www.trma.org I usually teach only 10-hour and the 500 series. I have taught 463 people this year. I teach evenings, weekends, and early mornings too. I teach in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Indiana. The PowerPoint is posted free at usmwf.org. https://www.usmwf.org/powerpoints-and-safety-information.html I use your feedback to make changes to make corrections. -- John Newquist 815-354-6853