OSHA Regional Restructuring: What You Need To Know

OSHA has announced a significant restructuring of its regional offices to enhance efficiency and better serve workers and employers across the United States. Here’s a detailed look at these structural changes within OSHA and what they mean for businesses and workers.

Key Changes

Region 4 Splits Between Birmingham and Atlanta:
The former Region 4 has been split into two new regions with offices sourced out of Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia:

• Birmingham Region: OSHA has established a new regional office in Birmingham, Alabama. This new region, now simply called the “Birmingham Region”, will cover Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle. The aim is to enhance OSHA’s ability to address safety and health issues more effectively in these states.
• Atlanta Region: OSHA’s new Atlanta region operates out of their office in Atlanta, Georgia covering Florida (excluding the Panhandle), Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Merged Regions and New San Francisco Region:

OSHA has merged Regions 9 and 10 into the newly designated San Francisco Region. This region now covers Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, California, Arizona, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, and American Samoa.

New Region Designations:

OSHA has also renamed its other regions to better reflect their new jurisdictions by geography rather than continue its former practice of assigning numbers to specific regions:

• Region 1 is now designated as the “Boston Region.”
• Region 2 is now designated as the “New York City Region.”
• Region 3 is now designated as the “Philadelphia Region.”
• Region 4 is split into the newly designated “Atlanta Region” and “Birmingham Region”
• Region 5 is now designated as the “Chicago Region.”
• Region 6 is now designated as the “Dallas Region.”
• Region 7 is now designated as the “Kansas City Region.”
• Region 8 is now designated as the “Denver Region.”
• Region 9 and 10 are now designated as the “San Francisco Region”

These changes are designed to improve OSHA’s response times, resource distribution, and overall effectiveness in addressing workplace safety and health issues. For more detailed information, you can visit the official OSHA announcement or view their map detailing the new OSHA Offices by State.

Safety Plus Has You Covered

At Safety Plus, we understand the importance of staying informed about regulatory changes. Our suite of safety services, outsourced Program Management solutions, all-in-one safety management software, and network of qualified safety professionals are designed to ensure that all our clients receive the support they need, no matter where they’re located and provide ample coverage to all of our customers across North America. Additionally, our main location in Mobile, Alabama, is now strategically positioned near the heart of the new Birmingham Region, allowing us to offer even more localized in-person support to our clients in the southeastern United States.

To learn more about how Safety Plus can assist your business in adapting to new OSHA’s regional office changes, and to help ensure your business remains compliant ahead of any future regulatory changes, request a consultation with one of our dedicated safety experts today.