OSHA News June 2026

OSHA News for July 2026 Hello everyone, We started out July with 105 heat index in the Chicago area. Hydrate and replenish the electrolytes. Many company are renting or buying freezer to store ice which is very popular with employees. I would like to wish BIll Donovan a happy retirement and thank him for his many years of service to occupational safety and health. Bill began his OSHA career as a Compliance Officer in New York before coming to the OSHA Training Institute in the mid-1990s, where he became one of OSHA's leading instructors on fall protection. Thousands of OSHA personnel, safety professionals, and compliance officers benefited from his knowledge, practical experience, and ability to make complex topics understandable. Bill later served in the Regional Office in Enforcement Programs, where he continued to influence OSHA's mission through policy, guidance, and leadership. One phrase many of us remember him saying was, "Bad cases make bad law." It was a reminder that good enforcement, careful analysis, and sound decision-making matter because their effects can last for years. He was promoted to the Regional Administrator 5 years ago. NAICS 33 is metal manufacturing industry and an OSHA National Emphasis Program. I went over 102 fatalities since January 2024. (Most of 2025 is not available yet.) 14 Cardiac arrest death not counted as part of the 102 deaths. Age 60 and over was approx. 25% of the deaths. Struck by falling or moving objects were about 33% of the deaths. Getting all the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) written takes time. I got to see this world class company complete 100+ SOP videos to complement the written SOPs. They are making their tool box talks (TBT) have a video component for their written TBT also. They are using "Clipchamp" to make these videos using several mini videos from a cell phone. EMR is 0.68. This month’s PowerPoint was an OSHA update on Emphasis programs for clients. Their sector was NAICS 2379. Sector specific updates are popular this year. 314 people have told me they passed a BCSP in the first six months of the year. Wow. John OSHA News Update 1) OSHA issued more than $3.5M in proposed penalties to three companies for exposing workers to dangerous sulfuric acid during emergency response cleanup after a chemical spill. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eQdDE4fy 2) There are several reports about onsite accidents or alleged safety lapses at the Stargate data centers in Abilene, TX. https://time.com/article/2026/06/24/ai-data-center-stargate-abilene-texas-injuries/ 3) The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Bowden GA, Piggly Wiggly supermarket franchisee for safety violations after a meat department worker suffered an amputation. OSHA found RBG Foods Inc. – operating as Piggly Wiggly – tasked the worker with cleaning a commercial grinder. A co-worker stepped on the machine's foot-control pedal which started the grinder, pulling in the employee's hand and causing the amputation of four fingers. OSHA cited the employer with a willful violation for bypassing the machine's safety guards and exposing workers to hazards like moving parts and flying debris. The employer was also issued a serious violation for failing to establish a program for the control of hazardous energy, and an other-than-serious violation for failing to report the amputation to OSHA within 24 hours of the incident. OSHA assessed $196,251 in proposed penalties. Other News 1) Microsoft’s massive $3.3 billion "Fairwater" AI data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, went 100% fully operational last Tuesday, June 23, 2026. 2) One dead in grain bin Mt. Carmel IL. https://www.wowt.com/2026/06/05/1-dead-2-rescued-after-workers-trapped-grain-bin/ 3) Illinois shooting at Amazon https://lnkd.in/gAQQH8Gr 4) Highway work is so dangerous and unfortunately a worker in Illinois lost his life https://lnkd.in/gqnJFvMi OSHA CITATIONS 6/20/2025 This is discontinued Safety Training at Non-Profits (Check Sites for Starting Dates) OSHA 7410 CSC Excavation Safety July 14 OSHA 500 CSC July 20-23. Harwood Grant Silica July 27 2026 CSC Harwood Grant Machine guard lockout July 17 NIU Naperville Harwood Grant Machine guard lockout July 9 NIU Rockford Harwood Grant Confined Space Fire July 24 2026 NIU Naperville Harwood Grant Confined Space Fire September 22 NIU Rockford OSHA 7105 Emergency Planning July 20 NIU Naperville For FREE NIU 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 1443 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.