Congress moves to strip federal workplace safety protections entirely
H.R. 86 — NOSHA Act · Filed by Andy Biggs (R-AZ) · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill repeals the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and abolishes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), eliminating federal workplace safety and health standards, inspections, and enforcement. Workers would lose federal protections for hazardous conditions, and employers would no longer face federal safety requirements or penalties.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is the repeal of the foundational federal workplace safety statute and abolition of its enforcement agency. This is a direct deregulation measure, not a technical amendment or narrow carve-out.
What the text implies
- State-level workplace safety regimes would become the only floor; many states have no equivalent to OSHA or weaker standards, creating a patchwork of protection.
- Workers in states without robust occupational safety laws would have no federal recourse for hazardous conditions, unsafe equipment, or employer retaliation for safety complaints.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
employers in high-hazard industries (construction, manufacturing, mining, agriculture); companies with poor safety records currently subject to OSHA penalties; industries with high injury/illness rates (hospitality, warehousing, meat processing)