A year since California established heat rules for indoor workplaces, labor organizers say employees are still being exposed to dangerously high temperatures on the job.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened inquiries regarding tools used inside spray booths, and an investigation at a non-compliant shop could result in $32,000 in fines. 

Each year, millions of U.S. workers are injured on the job, yet the full scope of workplace injuries remains unclear. A recent article published in the American Journal of Public Health highlights the gaps in current injury reporting systems — and proposes a new path forward.

In response to a “troubling rise” in struck-by fatalities on jobsites in the state, Michigan OSHA has issued a hazard bulletin.

Between Jan. 16 and July 4, MIOSHA recorded five worker deaths resulting from struck-by incidents. That’s more than half of the workplace deaths investigated this year by the agency, which operates as a State Plan program under federal OSHA.

OSHA has extended to Nov. 1 the deadline to comment on 20 of the 25 proposed rules the agency published on July 1.

One of the proposals concerns the enforcement of the General Duty Clause. OSHA is seeking to codify the principle that the General Duty Clause doesn’t authorize the agency to “prohibit, restrict, or penalize inherently risky activities that are intrinsic to professional, athletic, or entertainment occupations.”

Indoor and outdoor workers exposed to excessive heat can find safety tips in a newly released OSHA video.

In its latest OSHA Minute with Marlis, the agency says employers should educate employees on the hazards of heat exposure and heat illness prevention, as well as have an emergency action plan.

From walkaround rules and proposed heat standards to a vacant review commission and a new president with new priorities, a lot has changed in the world of workplace regulations in recent months.

A presentation this week during the American Society of Safety Professionals 2025 Conference + Expo sought to shed some light on these issues and more. Here are some of the important topics they touched on:

Nearly a third of Cal/OSHA positions were vacant last year. A new state audit found that caused the agency to skip in-person inspections, even when workers were injured.

California’s worker safety agency is under-inspecting workplaces after accidents and worker injuries, failing to enforce labor regulations in a way that “may undermine” them because it does not have enough employees to do the inspections, a state audit found. 

A new U.S. Department of Labor policy cuts workplace safety inspections and lowers fines for small and first-time offending businesses, drawing criticism from experts who warn it will lead to more job-related deaths and illnesses.

Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News.