In a Move Supported by NAHB, OSHA Backs Off Arizona State Plan
OSHA announced yesterday that it will withdraw its proposal to reconsider and revoke final approval of Arizona's State Plan for occupational safety and health, leaving the state's plan in place.
State plans are OSHA-approved workplace safety and health programs operated by individual states. There are currently 22 state plans covering private and public sector workers. State plans are monitored by OSHA and must be at least as effective as OSHA in protecting workers and in preventing work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.
In April 2022, OSHA announced that it would seek to revoke the state plan of Arizona due to what it said was a "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."
During a public comment period on the revocation action, many organizations like NAHB urged OSHA to withdraw its proposed action.
NAHB noted in comments, "OSHA's actions frustrate Congress' intent by preventing states that are operating their own plans from developing state-specific workable solutions to preserve employee safety and health."
Many commenters' primary concern was OSHA's use of the "at least as effective as OSHA" standard in evaluating the effectiveness of state plans. NAHB said, "OSHA has still not met its congressional mandate to develop standards based on measurable outcomes, including identifying what the phrase 'at least as effective as' actually means."
In its announcement yesterday, OSHA noted that Arizona had completed "significant actions" to address its concerns.
NAHB appreciates that OSHA listened to stakeholders' concerns and chose to leave the Arizona State Plan in place. The OSH Act allows, and even encourages, states to develop and assume full responsibility for operating their own workplace safety and health plans. As a result, state plans can be more effective at protecting workers as they often account for local and regional environments in their enforcement mechanisms. Having safety standards set and enforced at the state level is the best way to keep more workers safe on job sites.

Latest from NAHBNow
May 30, 2025
NAHB Members Provide Final Recommendations for New WOTUS RuleNAHB members concluded their participation in multiple “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) listening sessions with strong showings in Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City. In total, 12 NAHB members and four staff members from NAHB and state home builder associations (HBAs), representing 11 states, provided oral statements at listening sessions.
May 30, 2025
Statement from NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes on DOL Decision to Pause Job Corps Center OperationsNAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes issued the following statement after the Department of Labor announced it was pausing Job Corps center operations nationwide.
Latest Economic News
May 30, 2025
Multifamily Absorption Moves Lower for New ApartmentsThe percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months after completion continued to trend lower, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA).
May 29, 2025
Treasury Yield Increase Drives Mortgage Rates Higher in MayMortgage rates continued their upward trend in May due to market volatility triggered by fiscal concerns and weaker U.S. Treasury demand. According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.82% — a 9-basis-point (bps) increase from April. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage increased by 5 bps to 5.95%.
May 28, 2025
Aging-in-Place Remodeling Work Fell While Familiarity and Receptiveness Remain HighOnly 56% of professional remodelers undertake projects designed to allow homeowners to Age-in-Place (AIP), according to results from NAHB’s Q1 2025 Remodeling Market Index (RMI) survey.