Diverse Workplace Safety Approaches in States Muddle Compliance

A growing number of states are trying to address heat and violence hazards in the workplace as the federal government makes little progress on rulemaking in those areas, creating new compliance costs and headaches for employers, attorneys say.

Both Kentucky and Virginia lawmakers last month passed legislation centered around workplace safety. The bills marked a trend by states either leaning into the Trump administration’s deregulation goals or taking the lead on protecting workers where the federal government does not.

The net effect for multi-state employers is navigating often very different standards, attorneys say.

“When there aren’t laws at the federal ...