OSHA Weakens Heat Emphasis Program While Virginia Commits to a Standard

By Jordan Barab
Apr 16, 2026 #Virginia

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Good News From Virginia

But it’s not all bad news out there.

The Virginia legislature has passed, and Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed a bill directing the state’s Safety and Health Codes Board to create an OSHA standard for indoor and outdoor workplaces by May 1, 2028. California, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Nevada and Washington state already have workplace heat safety standards.

The Virginia bill directs the Board to

Consider the 2021 Draft Heat Illness Prevention Standard of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and standards created by the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, the American National Standards Institute, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Division, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Virginia state OSHA, by the way, is now headed by Jim Frederick, former OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Biden administration (and Assistant Director of the United Steelworkers union before that.)

Elections have consequences.

By Jordan Barab
Jordan Barab was OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2009-2017. He ran AFSCME's health & safety program from 1982-98. He also worked at the House Education and & Labor Committee (2007-2009, 2019-2021) and the Chemical Safety Board.