Department of Labor Withdrawing Proposal to Revoke Approval of Arizona’s OSHA Plan

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to withdraw a proposal to reconsider and revoke final approval of Arizona’s for occupational safety and health.

By withdrawing the proposal, this will leave the state’s plan in place.

The announcement follows OSHA issuing a notice on April 21, 2022, that proposed reconsideration and revocation due to what the department says was Arizona’s nearly decade-long pattern of failures to adopt adequate maximum penalty levels, occupational safety and health standards, National Emphasis Programs and the COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard.

OSHA accepted public comments on the revocation proposal, and Arizona submitted a public comment advising OSHA that the state’s plan had completed significant actions to address the concerns OSHA identified in the original Federal Register notice.

The actions made by the state included adopting outstanding federal standards and directives, enacting state laws to ensure that Arizona’s future maximum and minimum penalty levels track with OSHA federal levels, and authorizing adoption of an emergency temporary standard when either OSHA or the Industrial Commission of Arizona determines that grave danger criteria are met.

Related:

• Department of Labor Reopens Comment Period on Arizona’s OSHA Plan
• Department of Labor Eyeing Arizona OSHA Plan After ‘Pattern of Failures’
• OSHA Prepares to Issue Emergency Regulations to Protect Workers from COVID-19

Topics Workers' Compensation