CA Gov Newsom Wrecks CA-OSHA Program as Trump's Eliminates OSHA Nationally

As Trump Guts Workplace Health and Safety Protections, CalOSHA Must Step Up
By Ruth Silver Taube Sep 11, 2025

The Trump administration has rapidly rolled back federal workplace regulations and protections and closed OSHA offices. It closed 11 OSHA offices in states with the highest workplace fatality rates and eliminated 34 offices of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which protects coal miners from hazards like black lung disease.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has dismantled or eliminated 63 workplace regulations. It is rolling back the walkaround rule that allowed employees to designate a third-party, such as a union official, to accompany OSHA inspectors, and the electronic reporting requirements that require certain large employers to submit detailed injury and illness data is likely to be rolled back.

The Trump administration is also halting progress on several new safety standards. The administration has paused the proposed federal standard to protect workers from extreme heat exposure, which would have required employers to provide water and rest breaks and a new rule on silica exposure intended to reduce coal miners’ exposure to silica dust, which causes black lung disease.

In March and April 2025, the Trump administration effectively eliminated the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) by laying off almost 90% of its workforce and planning deep budget cuts. NIOSH plays a critical role in health and safety protections for workers.

NIOSH certifies respirators and tests other PPE and technologies used by workers across industries, including in health care, mining, manufacturing, firefighting and construction, and prevents counterfeits from entering the market; conducts critical mine safety research and provides medical screenings for coal miners; investigates workplaces to identify and mitigate exposure to toxins and potential health hazards; funds the formal training for future industrial hygienists, epidemiologists, physicians, and other occupational safety and health professionals through universities and field-based internships; and provides scientific and technical support to enable medical compensation for nuclear weapons workers and Sept. 11 first responders.

States have a critical responsibility to enforce workplace health and safety protections in the face of the dismantling of federal OSHA protections. Currently 21 states operate their own plans, and an additional six states maintain OSHA plans covering state and local government employees (who are not covered by federal OSHA).

California has gone above the federal floor and enacted standards on heat exposure and silica exposure thanks to advocacy by nonprofits like Worksafe and SoCalCOSH. California has also enacted Senator Cortese’s bill, SB 533, effective July 1, 2024, which mandated a workplace violence prevention plan and training by that date.

Unfortunately, a 2025 California State Auditor report found significant staffing shortages and process deficiencies at Cal/OSHA and issued a list of recommendations for improvement. The audit reviewed cases between 2019 and 2024 and identified critical weaknesses in the agency’s procedures including unanswered worker complaints and accidents closed without sufficient on-site investigation.

The audit also found a 32% overall vacancy rate in fiscal year 2023-24 that compromised its ability to conduct necessary on-site inspections and enforce labor protections. According to CalOSHA’s staffing data, of October 2024, the vacancy rate was at 55% at the Fremont office, the closest office to San Jose.

The audit found that assessed fines were sometimes less than warranted. It also found that CalOSHA’s reliance on outdated and paper-based systems for case management and documentation have slowed work and delayed projects.

At a hearing in Sacramento after the report, legislators slammed CalOSHA for its deficiencies.. Senator Ortega cited three workers who died after they were crushed by machinery at a metal manufacturing and recycling plant in her district, without sufficient consequences for the employer.

The Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR) response to the report was that it has taken steps to improve staffing, with vacancies decreasing since the audit. Unfortunately, AB 694 (McKinnor), a bill, which would address CalOSHA’s vacancy problem died in the Appropriations suspense file.

Advocates have long complained about the lack of bilingual staff. According to CalOSHA’s staffing data, as of October 2024, Cal/OSHA had only10 certified bilingual inspectors–while 5 million of the state’s 19 million workers speak languages other than English. CalOSHA is actively recruiting bilingual inspectors.

The DIR also responded to the report’s recommendation that it modernize its processes. DIR stated that it is modernizing its processes by implementing a new digital data management system, with a projected implementation date of 2027. A CalOSHA spokesperson called it the biggest technology project in the history of CalOSHA.

DIR stated that it is also working on revisions to its policies to require better documentation for decisions to forgo on-site inspections and to emphasize factors like the severity of allegations when prioritizing inspections.

In the face of the administration’s gutting of workplace health and safety protections and the effective elimination of NIOSH, it is urgent that CalOSHA swiftly step up, implement the recommendations in the State Auditor report, and enact additional worker protections. Congress must also act and listen to the AFL-CIO, unions, workers, and advocates’ calls for the restoration of NIOSH and federal workplace health and safety protections.