Public Policy · Civil Rights·January 20, 2025
Trump freezes OSHA heat protections affecting 36 million workers as OSHRC regains quorum
Trump's Jan. 20 regulatory freeze paused OSHA's heat safety rule requiring water and rest breaks at 80°F, while Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer oversees former Amazon safety executive David Keeling leading OSHA under the administration's '10-to-1' deregulation mandate
President Trump’s “10-to-1” deregulation rule requires federal agencies to eliminate 10 existing regulations for every new rule introduced (CorFix OSHA analysis).
On May 29, 2025, the Trump administration’s regulatory freeze halted OSHA’s proposed federal heat safety rule—which would have required employers to provide water, rest breaks, and shade when temperatures exceed certain thresholds—indefinitely (Ogletree Deakins legal analysis; CorFix OSHA analysis).
California and Washington maintain their own state heat illness prevention regulations that remain in effect regardless of federal OSHA rulemaking (Employment Law Letter analysis).
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has lacked a quorum to decide cases since Apr. 2023; Chairman Atwood remains the sole member, preventing the Commission from issuing decisions (Jackson Lewis workplace analysis).
Connecticut’s Senate Bill 830, introduced in Jan. 2025 by the Connecticut General Assembly, would establish comprehensive heat safety standards for employees in agriculture, construction and landscaping, covering both outdoor and indoor work settings (Employment Law Letter analysis).
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