May 2026 Volume 8

WASHINGTON UPDATE

"HERE TO HELP" This Time OSHA May Mean It By Omar S. Nashashibi

I n August 1986, President Reagan said that “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” President Trump’s administration is looking to turn that phrase on its head, and show manufacturers that OSHA can be a partner, and not just an enforcer. As a registered lobbyist in Washington, D.C. for over twenty-five years, I have seen how each administration puts its mark on safety in the workplace and this administration is moving swiftly. From President George W. Bush’s OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) expansion to President Joe Biden’s pledge to hire 1,000 OSHA enforcement officers, my meetings had one constant: that the government was there to “help.” In this second Trump administration, OSHA is moving on multiple fronts with a focus on employer outreach and the launch of its Safety Champions Program. The program aims to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities by incorporating the seven core elements of OSHA’s Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs. It is structured in three self-guided steps – Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced – allowing participants to progress at their own pace. Employers may request a Special Government Employee (SGE) to assess their program and progress at any stage, and as is always the case, must address any hazards identified in the workplace. OSHA will assign a Safety Champions SGE to conduct a review when a participant believes they have completed all actions in a Step. The SGE may recommend that participant for Step completion to the SCP Coordinator, or the SGE may identify areas where further progress is needed. Upon successful completion of the Advanced Step, participating employers will have a safety and health program that integrates all seven core elements and reflects a proactive approach to safety and health. Unlike OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs, which formally recognize top-performing worksites that meet rigorous, fully implemented safety and health standards, the Safety Champions Program is a step-based, self-guided framework. The intention is to “meet employers where they are,” and assist them with building capabilities over time rather than immediate certification-level requirements. Employers can learn more about the program at https://www.osha.gov/safety-champions. Among the top safety priorities dating to the Biden administration is addressing indoor and outdoor workplace heat exposure. On April 10, 2026, OSHA announced an update to its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on indoor and outdoor heat-related hazards, signaling a continued expansion of targeted enforcement in high-risk industries. The revised program directs OSHA to prioritize inspections and outreach in sectors where workers face the greatest exposure to heat stress. The updated NEP lasts for three years and replaces previous instructional guidance issued in April 2022 and extended last year by the Trump administration for twelve months.

The NEP incorporates 2022–2025 injury and illness data to better focus inspections, maintains the use of programmed (targeted) and unprogrammed (complaint or incident-driven) inspections, and reinforces expanded inquiry during any inspection where heat may be a factor – even if heat is not the original reason for the visit. This NEP is separate from the Biden-era proposed indoor and outdoor heat rule and does not have the same broad scope as a full new regulation; it acts more as a guide for OSHA inspectors to emphasize heat in their workplace visits. The FIA filed formal comments in 2024 raising concerns about the Biden proposal to mandate employee breaks every two hours, adjust shift schedules, and impose a one-size-fits-all approach to every workplace from the forge shop to the golf course to the local restaurant. In my meetings here in Washington, D.C. with government officials and industry stakeholders, there is an increasing interest in seeing the current Trump administration release a final indoor and outdoor heat workplace rule that can accommodate the broad range of employers in the U.S. While timing for a heat rule is unclear, many manufacturers are concerned that absent a rule under the current administration, a future White House may direct OSHA to implement the Biden rule, which is unworkable for many industries. Also coming up in my recent discussions is OSHA’s possible rulemaking on lock-out/tag-out. OSHA’s current lock-out/tag-out rulemaking did not begin with the Biden administration; it traces back to a 2019 Request for Information issued under President Trump. The impetus for the Trump administration to explore revising the rule is whether the 1989 standard accurately reflects today’s manufacturing workplace. At the time, policymakers wrote the rule for a manufacturing environment dominated by mechanical equipment with clearly identifiable energy sources that required an operator to “lock-out”. OSHA has engaged the stakeholder community to identify whether the existing lock-out/tag-out standard still applies to a modern manufacturing environment where robotics and CNC equipment are more prevalent. It did not contemplate today’s reality of servo-driven systems, PLC-controlled equipment, robotics, and interconnected production lines, where energy may be controlled through software, interlocks, or control circuits. The Trump administration initially identified December 2025 as the timing to release a proposed rule, though it faced delays due to the government shutdown. Some sources indicate we may see movement this summer on this long-simmering issue that remains top-of-mind for many manufacturers. From one administration to the next, OSHA’s approach to employers can switch from enforcement to support. Not knowing which government manufacturers will face next can lend a sense of urgency to create a regulatory environment that achieves its goal of a safe workplace without creating unworkable requirements on employers. This brings us to a question about President Reagan’s quote from forty years ago: is the government really here to help? Forging

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FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2026