Workplace safety and health laws by state

AB 2321: Occupational safety and health: investigations.

The Bureau of Investigations must immediately investigate violations resulting in serious injury to five or more employees, death, or prosecution requests. The bureau must establish written policies for case review and investigation decisions. The division must create an automated process for transmitting nonfatal injury information to the bureau. For Alameda and Santa Clara counties, the respective district attorneys must investigate and prosecute occupational safety violations resulting in death.

Takes effect 1 January 2027

SB 1046: Occupational safety: transboundary pollution.

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health must propose to the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board a standard by January 1, 2030 that protects employees with high or prolonged exposure to transboundary pollution in outdoor occupational environments. The standard must include personal protective equipment, medical surveillance, hazard communication, reporting and recordkeeping, and training requirements.

Takes effect 1 January 2027

AB 1439: Public retirement systems: development projects: labor standards.

Requests the UC Berkeley Labor Center to study labor standards protections in California real estate and infrastructure development projects funded by PERS and STRS real asset portfolios, with findings due to the Legislature and Department of Finance by January 1, 2028.

Takes effect 1 January 2027

SB 20: Occupational safety: high-exposure trigger tasks on artificial stone.

Persons or entities engaged in high-exposure trigger tasks on artificial stone must use effective wet methods and cannot use dry methods. Owners or operators of fabrication shops must ensure employees performing high-exposure trigger tasks receive training and attest annually to the division beginning July 1, 2026 that employees have been trained.

AB 1002: Contractors: failure to pay wages: discipline.

Contractors must pay workers the full amount of wages entitled under state law, fulfill wage judgments, and comply with injunctions or court orders regarding wage payment. The Attorney General may bring civil action against contractors failing to meet these obligations.

AB 1181: Firefighters: personal protective equipment.

By January 1, 2028, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board must consider modifying its firefighter personal protective equipment safety order to address National Fire Protection Association performance standards that result in use of PFAS, fluoropolymers, flame retardants, and other hazardous substances. The modified order must mandate PPE free of these hazardous substances and include a phaseout timeline of no later than 10 years.

HB 1272: Extreme Temperatures Worker Protections

Adds definitions and establishes requirements for principals to develop temperature-related injury and illness prevention plans protecting workers from extreme heat and cold, including provisions for potable water, rest areas, acclimatization, and emergency response procedures.

HB 84: An act to amend title 19 of the delaware code relating to employer-sponsored meetings or communications.

This amendment to Title 19 of the Delaware Code expands employer-sponsored communication protections by removing the restriction that only 501(c)(3) organizations can communicate with employees about policy issues, and removes the requirement that such communications be non-partisan.

SJR 14: Directing the department of education to conduct a study and report on workforce data relating to public education support professionals.

The Department of Education must develop and submit a report by November 2, 2026 containing workforce data on education support professionals by local education agency, including employment numbers, vacant positions, hourly rates, and casual/seasonal workers. The report must include recommended hourly, weekly, and bi-weekly rates to ensure all education support professionals earn at least the minimum living wage.

SB 248: An act to amend title 19 of the delaware code relating to workplace safety program.

Amends the workplace safety program formula in Title 19 to adjust how safety credits are calculated based on employer credibility. The change takes effect for safety credit calculations communicated by the Department of Insurance on or after December 1, 2026.

HB 1888: Relating to the safety of educational workers.

The department of education and state public charter schools must conduct formal internal investigations of harassment incidents against educational workers, report incidents involving potential threats of physical harm to law enforcement within forty-eight hours, implement harassment procedures, develop emergency safety plans, assist with temporary restraining orders, and provide annual de-escalation training. Educational workers are entitled to paid leave for court proceedings.

SB 3144: Relating to the hawaii occupational safety and health law.

No person shall discharge, suspend, or discriminate against any employee for refusing to operate unsafe equipment or engage in unsafe practices, or for filing complaints or participating in proceedings under this chapter. Employers must provide appropriate relief including rehiring, reinstatement, back pay, and restoration of seniority if discrimination occurs.

HB 4725: Worker protection unit

Employers subject to investigation by the Attorney General's Worker Protection Unit must make all reasonable efforts to cooperate, including making premises and records available for inspection and permitting employees to participate in interviews. No person shall knowingly remove, conceal, destroy, mutilate, alter, or falsify documentary material subject to a duly served subpoena.

Takes effect 1 January 2027

HB 2488: Occupational safety-penalty

Private employers with 100 or more employees in Illinois must obtain an equal pay registration certificate from the Department by submitting a $150 filing fee, wage records separated by gender and race/ethnicity, and a compliance statement certifying pay equity within job categories and compliance with equal pay laws.

Took effect 1 October 2025

HB 1302: Various labor and safety matters.

Employers hiring at least five minors aged 14-17 must register with the department and add, modify, or remove information in the youth employment system database within 14 calendar days of any change, or within 30 calendar days after a minor's last date worked. The act repeals the residual asbestos injury fund and transfers its remaining balance to the worker's compensation supplemental administrative fund.

Took effect 1 July 2026

SB 343: AN ACT relating to the Department of Workers' Claims and declaring an emergency.

Creates the Department of Workers' Claims administratively attached to the Office of the Governor, headed by a commissioner appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, reorganizing it from the Education and Labor Cabinet.

HB 398: AN ACT relating to occupational safety and health.

The Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board and the Secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet shall not adopt, promulgate, or enforce any occupational safety and health administrative regulation that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has not promulgated or that is more stringent than corresponding federal provisions, except for regulations pertaining to public employees.

LD 1407: An Act To Direct The Board Of Occupational Safety And Health To Develop Indoor Air Quality Standards For Buildings In The State In Which Public Sector Workers Work

Directs the Department of Labor to submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Labor by December 3, 2025 containing the findings of the indoor air quality advisory group convened in 2024.

SB 831: Labor Law - Child Labor Penalties, Private Sector Employee Labor Relations, and State Employee Labor Standards

Employers in Maryland may not allow formation of workplace organizations that are employer-initiated, include supervisors, address working conditions, are unilaterally dissolvable by the employer, and are expressly exempt from or not subject to the federal National Labor Relations Act. Units in the Executive Branch may not petition the federal government for Fair Labor Standards Act waivers. The Commissioner may assess civil penalties for child labor violations.

Took effect 1 June 2026

HB 176: Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act

The Commissioner of Labor and Industry must establish a Public Employees' Safety and Health Unit and appoint an Assistant Commissioner to administer occupational safety and health standards for employees of public bodies. Each public body must develop written policies for body-worn cameras, maintain self-inspection programs, and comply with workplace safety standards including standards for preventing workplace violence.

Took effect 1 October 2025

SB 26: Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act

The Commissioner of Labor and Industry must adopt regulations by October 1, 2026, establishing occupational safety and health standards for protecting employees of public bodies from workplace violence. Each public body must provide safe and healthful places of employment and comply with these standards. The Correctional Training Commission must adopt body-worn camera regulations by January 1, 2026.

Took effect 1 October 2025

LB 847: Adopt the Nebraska Registered Apprenticeship Act, change provisions relating to funds, child labor, the Business Innovation Act, the Contractor Registration Act, the Employee Classification Act, the Employment Security Law, and the Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act, and transfer administration of student internships to the Department of Labor

Apprenticeship sponsors must comply with federal apprenticeship standards at 29 C.F.R. part 29 as of January 1, 2026. Apprentices must be at least sixteen years old and complete at least two thousand hours of on-the-job learning. Employers receiving Business Innovation Act financial assistance must submit quarterly wage reports to the Department of Labor.

LB 921: Adopt the Nebraska Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and the Health Care Staffing Agency Registration Act and change provisions of the Employment Security Law, the In the Line of Duty Compensation Act, the Non-English-Speaking Workers Protection Act, and the State Miscellaneous Claims Act

LB 397: Change and eliminate provisions relating to workplace safety committees and a workplace safety program and terminate a fund

Every public and private employer subject to the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act must establish a safety committee and adopt and maintain an effective written injury prevention program by January 1, 1994. Employers must compensate employee committee members at regular hourly wage plus benefits while attending meetings or performing committee duties. Employers must not discharge or discriminate against employees for complaints to the safety committee or regulatory agencies.

SB 29: relative to membership, jurisdiction, and reports of the health care workplace safety commission and relative to health care facility reporting requirements under the workplace violence prevention program.

S 5254: Protects certain employees from a reduction of wages due to their involvement in the investigation of a violation of a workplace violence protection program

S 740: Requires retail worker employers to develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence

Employers with at least ten retail employees must adopt a workplace violence prevention policy meeting minimum standards, provide written notice to employees in English and their primary language upon hire and annually, and conduct workplace violence prevention training upon hire and annually (or biennially for employers with fewer than fifty retail employees). Employers with five hundred or more retail employees statewide must provide each retail employee a silent response button to request immediate assistance during emergencies.

HB 258: Worker Safety Act of 2026.

Employees allegedly aggrieved by retaliatory employment discrimination must file written complaints with the Commissioner of Labor containing specified information within 180 days of the alleged violation. Respondents may submit position statements within seven days of receiving the complaint. The Commissioner must investigate and determine reasonable cause within 90 days.

HB 4013: Relating to labor standards.

Employers who hire minors must apply to the Bureau of Labor and Industries for an annual employment certificate and provide estimated number of minors, description of activities, and description of machinery or equipment to be used. Rules governing total hours minors work may not be less restrictive than the federal Fair Labor Standards Act as in effect January 1, 2026.

Takes effect 1 January 2027

SB 1518: Relating to worker protections.

Persons employing domestic workers must pay overtime at one and one-half times the base rate for hours over 40 per week (or 44 if the worker lives in the home), provide at least 24 consecutive rest hours weekly, and may not request possession of the worker's passport or engage in sexual harassment, harassment based on protected characteristics, or retaliation.

HB 2024: Relating to the behavioral health workforce; and declaring an emergency.

The Oregon Health Authority shall establish a grant program for behavioral health care providers and entities to foster recruitment and retention. Behavioral health employers must provide workers with safety training addressing workplace risks, de-escalation techniques, and reporting options within 90 days of hiring and periodically thereafter, but not less than once every three years.

Took effect 1 July 2025

HB 7030: An act relating to health and safety -- healthcare worker platform act

Healthcare worker platforms must obtain a license from the department of health by September 1, 2027. Licensed platforms must ensure healthcare workers complete criminal background checks, maintain active professional licenses, complete training programs, comply with health and vaccination standards, and maintain insurance coverage. Platforms must submit annual statistical reports and comply with maximum allowable rates.

HB 7364: An act relating to labor and labor relations -- warehouse worker protection act

Employers with 100 or more employees at a single warehouse distribution center or 1,000 or more employees statewide must provide written quota descriptions to employees upon hire and disclose any changes at least two days in advance. Employers must not require quotas that prevent compliance with meal and rest periods or occupational health and safety laws.

Takes effect 1 January 2027

HB 50: Occupational Safety and Health Amendments

H 259: An act relating to preventing workplace violence in hospitals

Hospitals licensed in Vermont must establish and implement a security plan for preventing workplace violence, including a security risk assessment, de-escalation training in emergency departments and patient care areas, trauma-informed care liaison, and incident reporting system. Hospitals must adopt anti-retaliation policies and post notices about workplace safety.

Took effect 1 July 2025

SB 288: Protection of employees; standards for heat illness prevention, report.

Employers subject to Virginia's Occupational Safety and Health Program must implement heat illness prevention standards including providing water, shade or climate-controlled environments, rest periods, acclimatization training, high-heat procedures when temperature equals or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and emergency response procedures. Employers must not discharge or discriminate against workers for filing safety complaints or exercising safety rights.

HB 2401: Child labor; child engaged in the work of content creation, trust account.

Content creators whose video content features a child under 16 must set aside a percentage of gross earnings equal to or greater than half the child's content percentage into a trust account for the child's benefit upon reaching 18 or emancipation. Content creators must maintain specified records and provide them to the child and trust account holder.

SB 998: Child labor; child engaged in the work of content creation, trust account.

Content creators must set aside a percentage of gross earnings from video content featuring children under 16 in a trust account for the child's benefit upon reaching 18 or emancipation. Content creators must maintain specified records and provide them to the child and trust account holder on an ongoing basis.

HB 1128: Establishing a child care workforce standards board.

Child care employers must ensure each child care worker completes one hour of training every two years from a certified worker organization, compensate workers at regular rates for training time, provide notices of rights and minimum standards, and comply with minimum child care employment standards established by the board regarding compensation and working conditions.

HB 1162: Concerning workplace violence in health care settings.

Each health care setting must develop, implement, and annually review a workplace violence prevention plan addressing security, staffing, job design, training, and employee assistance. Health care settings must investigate every workplace violence incident and submit summaries to their safety or workplace violence committee at least twice yearly for smaller hospitals or quarterly for others.

Took effect 1 January 2026

HB 1173: Concerning wages for journeypersons in high-hazard facilities.

Contractors must ensure workers in apprenticeable occupations at high-hazard facilities are either registered apprentices or skilled journeypersons paid at least the seventy-fifth percentile occupational wage for their occupation and geographic area. A worker who does not meet apprentice or journeyperson definitions is deemed a skilled journeyperson for wage purposes.

Took effect 1 January 2026

HB 1644: Concerning the safety and health of working minors.

Employers must obtain a minor work permit with parental or school consent before employing minors in agriculture or other covered work. Employers must comply with prohibited duty requirements, hours of work, meal and rest breaks, and minimum wage requirements for minors. Employers must maintain records and post required notices.

Took effect 1 July 2026

HB 1524: Concerning workplace standards and requirements applicable to employers of isolated employees.

Hotels, motels, retail entities, security guard entities, and property services contractors employing isolated employees must adopt sexual harassment policies, provide mandatory training on sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination prevention, provide panic buttons to isolated employees, maintain training documentation, and submit annual reports to the department.

Took effect 1 January 2026

SB 427: Permitting certain teenagers to work without obtaining work permit

Employers must obtain and keep on file parental or guardian consent, a birth certificate, school attendance certificate, and job description before employing a 14- or 15-year-old. The State Commissioner of Labor or authorized person must issue an age certificate upon review of required documents, including proof of age and applicable work hours for children under 16.

AB 936: Relating to: definition of personal assistance services for the purposes of vocational rehabilitation; updating reference to federal vocational rehabilitation law; updating references to the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014; updating reference to federal law for certificate of registration as a migrant labor contractor; updating statutory reference to federal Social Security Act; and updating references to federal law for safety standards for vehicles used to transport traveling sales crews (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Workforce Development).

Updates Wisconsin statutes to reference current federal laws including the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Social Security Act, and federal transportation safety standards, and redefines personal assistance services for vocational rehabilitation purposes.

HB 35: Firefighters-paid leave and hazard pay.

Correctional forestry crew supervisors, correctional crew supervisors, correctional forestry crew managers, and any other person in a wildland firefighting occupation employed by the state forestry division of the office of state lands and investments shall receive a differential for firefighting work deemed hazardous in accordance with federal standards and be eligible for paid time off in accordance with federal standards.