Health & Safety

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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 illness prevention plans for municipal…

Continue Reading New York City Executive Order Signals Forthcoming Heat Illness Requirements for Employers

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.

1. What’s the Change to the Respiratory …

Continue Reading OSHA Proposes New Rules on Respiratory Protection and 20 Other Standards

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) estimated 54,000 to 57,000 opioid‑related…

Continue Reading Preventing Workplace Overdose Deaths — New York and California Plan Narcan (Naloxone) Requirements

Seyfarth Synopsis: Employers often fail to appreciate the ramifications of industrial hygiene data and medical records. Even non-detect records must be maintained for 30+ years and provided to employees or representatives upon request.

OSHA’s Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records standard, 29 CFR § 1910.1020, is one of the most frequently misunderstood — and quietly enforced — provisions in…

Continue Reading Employee Exposure Records and Medical Records: Avoiding OSHA Citations and Defending Against Future Workers’ Compensation, Tort, and ADA Claims

Under OSHA’s General Duty Clause, employers must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause serious injury or death. OSHA regulations require PPE and respiratory protection where necessitated by the hazards at the workplace. Infectious diseases represent a recognized hazard at many workplaces across the United States (particularly in healthcare) and employers must implement appropriate procedures to protect…

Continue Reading Navigating the New Public Health Environment: How Employers Should Approach CDC and NIOSH Guidance on Health Hazards in the Trump Administration

Employers with sophisticated safety programs implement overarching Safety and Health Management Systems (“SHMS”, also called Injury and Illness Prevention Plans and Accident Prevention Plans) to ensure that they properly assess hazards, select appropriate safety controls, evaluate safety performance, and engage employees. Federal OSHA recommends an SHMS and routinely demands the development of an SHMS to settle OSHA cases involving serious…

Continue Reading Minimizing OSHA Liabilities Through Psychological Safety

Seyfarth Synopsis: Ongoing wildfires in Southern California trigger Cal/OSHA regulations that require employers to train and protect employees from wildfire smoke. The regulation applies to most outdoor workplaces, requiring employers to provide N95 respirators at certain AQI trigger levels, effective communication, and training on wildfire smoke hazards.

Devastating and fast-moving wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in…

Continue Reading As Wildfires Rage in Los Angeles, Employers Must Comply with Cal/OSHA’s Wildfire Smoke Rules

By A. Scott Hecker, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: On its website, OSHA is highlighting the hazards of working in winter weather and providing resources for employers to help protect their workers. 

Employers must remember that weather-based hazards exist not only in the heat and humidity…

Continue Reading From Snowmageddon to Snowpocalypse: OSHA Highlights Potential Winter Weather Hazards

By Benjamin D. Briggs, Adam R. Young, A. Scott Hecker, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a new set of best practices to assist host employers in better protecting the safety and health of temporary workers.

Since 2013, Federal OSHA has maintained…

Continue Reading NIOSH Best Practices to Help Host Employers Protect Temporary Workers

By Adam R. Young, Daniel R. Birnbaum, A. Scott Hecker, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis:  With concerns of infectious disease at the forefront of workplace health and safety in the past several years, and with the traditional flu and cold season upon us, OSHA has reminded the regulated community to prevent the…

Continue Reading With Flu Season Upon Us, OSHA Signals That Employers Should Continue To Encourage Vaccination For Their Workforces