OSHA Sets November Target for Lockout/Tagout Rule Update

Washington — OSHA plans to publish by November a proposed rule intended to modernize its standard on lockout/tagout (1910.147), according to the federal government’s most recent regulatory agenda.

Lockout/Tagout and Heat Standards

Issued July 3, the 2026 Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions includes 32 combined proposals from the Department of Labor’s safety agencies — 30 from OSHA and two from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The lockout/tagout proposed rule likely would include computer-based controls for hazardous energy as the agency aims to update a standard promulgated in 1989. Lockout/tagout was OSHA’s fourth most frequently cited standard during fiscal year 2025. OSHA recognizes that recent technological advances may have resulted in safety improvements to control-circuit-type devices, according to Safety+Health Magazine.

OSHA is targeting December as the publication date for a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking for its heat rule. In August 2024, the agency published a proposed rule on heat illness and injury prevention in outdoor and indoor settings and then hosted informal stakeholder hearings in June and July 2025. Although several states have issued heat protections, a standard specific to heat-related injury and illness prevention would more clearly set forth enforceable employer obligations, OSHA says.

Deregulatory Actions

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs typically issues a regulatory agenda twice a year. Overall, the second agenda of President Donald Trump’s second term aligns with a previous deregulatory push. Trump signed an Executive Order in January 2025 directing federal agencies to eliminate 10 regulations for each new one introduced. OSHA this month intends to publish a proposal that would revise its mechanical power presses standard from the early 1970s. The update will be limited to eliminating the reporting requirements for specific injuries. The agency believes these requirements create a burden on employers that does not result in significant reductions in injuries. Among other proposals are those to rescind OSHA’s construction illumination requirements in 1926.26 and 1926.56, according to Safety+Health Magazine.

MSHA Silica Proposal

Under its proposed rule docket, MSHA included a revised proposal on miner exposure to respirable crystalline silica, slated for July. The agency published a final rule in April 2024 that reduced its permissible exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air over a time-weighted 8-hour shift. The new PEL is half the previous limit and matches the one established by OSHA in 2016. The rule also increases silica sampling and enforcement at metal and nonmetal mines and requires mine operators to provide periodic health exams at no cost to miners, according to Safety+Health Magazine.