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
Oct 29, 2025
Do Consumers Want Two-Story Foyers?Nearly a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer in 2024 — a number that has been trending downward over the past eight years. Though the national decline continued, regional patterns were mixed. See where this feature is hot — and where it's not.
Oct 29, 2025
How to Market to and Design for the Aging-in-Place ClientNAHB will host three webinars (open to members and non-members) in November to teach the technical, business management, and customer service skills necessary to complete modifications for aging-in-place.
Latest Economic News
Oct 29, 2025
The Fed Cuts amid Partly Cloudy ConditionsWith the government shutdown limiting the quantity of economic data available to markets and policymakers, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) enacted a widely anticipated 25 basis point cut for the short-term federal funds rate.
Oct 28, 2025
Home Price Growth SlowsHome prices in August grew at the lowest annual rate in over two years, according to the recent release of the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Home Price Index (seasonally adjusted – SA).
Oct 27, 2025
Two-Story Foyer Trend Stabilizes in 2024In 2024, nearly a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer, virtually unchanged from 2023, according to data obtained from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB.