PODCAST: A Labor Lawyer Explains OSHA’s Current State
Date Posted: March 27, 2025
Posted In: Discussion,
From Industrial Safety and Hygiene News: In a recent episode of ISHN’s podcast, we talk to Chris Nickels, an expert on workplace safety and OSHA matters. He tells us why OSHA isn’t going anywhere, what we might and might not expect, how employers should deal with possible changes and why some things won’t change.
Nickels is partner at Quarles & Brady and helps employers understand and navigate the technical and sometimes nuanced confines of labor and employment law and litigation.
Key takeaways
Nickels touches on potential impacts if OSHA’s enforcement powers were reduced or eliminated:
- Less aggressive enforcement, especially on “general duty” violations
- Increased workers’ comp costs for employers if safety incidents rise
- Concerns about state programs being able to handle the complexity and scale if OSHA is abolished
Nickels expects OSHA to continue its traditional enforcement priorities around common violations like lockout/tagout, machine guarding, etc.