OSHA proposed $3,520,703 in combined penalties against BWC Terminals LLC, Coastal Environmental Solutions Inc., and subcontractor One Way Environmental Services LLC after a December 2025 sulfuric acid spill in Channelview, Texas released 1 million gallons of acid and injured multiple employees. One Way Environmental received 18 willful egregious and 5 serious violations ($3,045,452 proposed) for sending cleanup workers without adequate training, respirator fit tests, or safety measures; the other employers were cited for training, emergency response planning, and respiratory protection failures. The case signals aggressive HAZWOPER enforcement for post-emergency response cleanup operations.

For the first time since annual adjustments began under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, the Department of Labor will make no inflation adjustment to its civil monetary penalties for 2026 — OSHA maximum penalties remain at 2025 levels. The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish October 2025 CPI-U data because of the appropriations lapse, and the statute permits no alternative calculation, so OMB memorandum M-26-11 directed agencies to continue applying 2025 penalty amounts. The Department plans a thorough review of its civil penalties in 2027.

OSHA hosted the 13th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction May 4–8, 2026, encouraging construction employers nationwide to pause work for fall-prevention training, hazard recognition exercises, safety demonstrations, and toolbox talks. The agency also signed a new alliance with Construction Safety Week reinforcing the "All in Together" campaign. Falls remain the leading cause of fatalities in construction; OSHA emphasizes job-specific risk controls for roofing, ladder use, and scaffolding.