OSHA 2027 Forecast: Regulatory & Legislative Actions Impacting Healthcare Workplaces (and Beyond)

Presenter: Adele L. Abrams, Esq., ASP, CMSP

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026

Time: 1 pm ET | 12 pm CT | 11 am MT | 10 am PT

Duration: 90 minutes

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Course Description

The federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) released its latest regulatory agenda in July 2026, and many of the initiatives outlined are expected to shape compliance responsibilities and workplace safety requirements through 2027, including within the healthcare sector. In addition, there are changes to enforcement under the Site-Specific Targeting Program and modifications to critical National Emphasis Programs.

OSHA has also launched its Safety Champions Program, offering a pathway to VPP status for more employers, and continues working toward finalizing its Workplace Violence Prevention Rule covering healthcare and social service sectors. These ongoing developments, along with anticipated 2027 regulatory updates, will have significant implications for employers and workers alike.

President Trump’s Executive Order 14192, “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation,” directed federal agencies to streamline regulatory obligations by repealing outdated or redundant standards. The Administration is also requiring agencies to eliminate 10 existing rules for every new rule promulgated. As a result, long-term initiatives, including emergency response rules and heat illness prevention efforts, face an uncertain future heading into 2027.

Federal courts are also considering challenges to the legitimacy of many existing OSHA regulations, while Congress continues to pursue efforts that could limit OSHA’s future rulemaking authority, including actions affecting worker heat illness protections. Even the General Duty Clause is undergoing potential modification.

This presentation will address OSHA’s latest rulemaking agenda, enforcement initiatives, and program changes, including developments expected to impact employers in 2027. It will also examine changes to programs such as the VPP, discuss the implications for employers and workers, and provide practical guidance on remaining proactive in an evolving and often unpredictable regulatory environment.

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Learning Outcomes

• Understand the impact of President Trump’s Deregulatory Executive Orders and the 2026 Mid-term election on OHS initiatives 
• Learn the latest status of OSHA’s Workplace Violence Prevention rulemaking
• Comprehend the legal challenges to OSHA’s rulemaking authority as violating the “nondelegation” clause of the US Constitution
• Determine what the impact of changes to rules affecting healthcare will be in light of the July 2026 regulatory agenda
• Identify how changes to the National Emphasis Programs will impact industry sectors
• Find out how recent Congressional Action to block promulgation of a federal OSHA heat illness prevention rule may set a precedent for prior restraint of rulemakings in the future
• Learn how modification of OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program may encourage greater participation in the non-union sector
• Review significant OSHA regulatory, enforcement, and compliance developments expected to affect healthcare workplaces in 2027.
  

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Areas Covered in the Session

• Overview of OSHA’s 2026 regulatory agenda and what it signals for 2027
• Understanding the federal rulemaking process and how recent political and legislative developments may affect OSHA initiatives
• Impact of Executive Order 14192 and the federal government’s broader deregulation efforts
  • Changes to existing regulatory requirements
  • Potential elimination or modification of workplace safety standards
  • Implications for healthcare employers
• OSHA’s latest regulatory and enforcement priorities for healthcare workplaces
• Status of OSHA’s Workplace Violence Prevention rule for healthcare and social services
  • Current rulemaking status
  • Potential requirements for healthcare employers
  • Preparing for possible changes before a final rule takes effect
• Legal challenges to OSHA’s rulemaking authority and the nondelegation issue
• Changes affecting OSHA’s General Duty Clause and what employers should watch for
• Congressional action and the proposed federal heat illness prevention requirements
  • Recent efforts to restrict OSHA rulemaking
  • Potential implications for future workplace safety regulations
  • What employers should monitor going forward
• Changes to OSHA’s National Emphasis Programs and their potential impact across industries
• OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting program and evolving enforcement priorities
• Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and OSHA’s Safety Champions initiative
• Changes to VPP eligibility and participation
• Opportunities for non-union employers
• How proactive safety programs may benefit participating organizations
• Regulatory developments affecting healthcare employers, hospitals, and healthcare service providers
• Preparing for uncertainty in OSHA enforcement and regulatory changes
• Reviewing existing safety and compliance programs
• Identifying areas of potential exposure
• Maintaining documentation and employee training
• California OSHA developments and how changes to Cal/OSHA standards may differ from federal OSHA requirements
• Looking ahead to 2027: key OSHA regulatory, enforcement, legislative, and workplace safety developments employers should be prepared to monitor
• Interactive Q&A Session with Adele Abrams

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Recommended Participants

• Safety and Health Managers 
• Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Managers 
• Occupational Safety Professionals 
• Hospital Safety Officers 
• Healthcare Compliance Officers 
• Risk Management Professionals 
• Occupational Health Managers 
• Business Owners and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) 
• Chief Operating Officers (COOs) 
• Hospital and Healthcare Facility Administrators 
• Human Resources Directors and Managers 
• Industrial Hygienists 
• Plant Managers and Facility Managers 
• Operations Managers 
• Construction Safety Managers 
• Contractors and Subcontractors Serving Healthcare Facilities 
• Corporate Compliance Managers 
• Workplace Safety Consultants 
• Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Coordinators 
• Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Consultants

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About the Presenter

Adele Abrams is an attorney, safety professional and trainer who is senior counsel at Littler Mendelson PC, based in their Washington, DC, office, representing employers nationwide in OSHA and MSHA litigation. She is certified as an Associate Safety Professional, and as a Certified Mine Safety Professional and she also provides consultation, safety audits and training services. 

Adele is a nationally recognized speaker at conferences and in webinars on employment law and safety issues. She is a regular columnist for numerous magazines on employment law, mine and occupational safety/health issues, and is co-author of several books related to mining, construction, employment law, and occupational safety and health. Adele is also an Avetta Fellow and in 2017 was recognized for the National Safety Council’s Distinguished Service to Safety Award.

She is a member of the Maryland, DC and Pennsylvania Bars, the U.S. District Courts of 

Maryland, DC and Tennessee, the U.S. Court of Appeals, DC, 3rd and 4th Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court. She is a graduate of the George Washington University’s 

National Law Center, and earned her B.S. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, 

College Park. 

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