Overview

• OSHA furloughed 1,204 of 1,664 employees and is responding only to imminent dangers, fatalities, serious complaints, and follow-ups, with new programmed inspections on hold.
• State OSHA plan jurisdictions continue inspections and enforcement, creating uneven oversight compared with federally run states.
• The EEOC furloughed about 1,686 of 1,814 staff and paused investigations, mediations, hearings, FOIA processing, and outreach, with limited docketing for imminent deadlines and active court cases proceeding where continuances were not granted.
• Critical legal timelines persist despite reduced staffing, including OSHA’s six-month citation window and the 15 working days employers have to file a Notice of Contest after receiving a citation.
• The Foreign Labor Application Gateway is offline, halting LCAs and PERM processing and slowing related visa filings, while federal courts plan to operate through at least Oct. 17 as the OSHRC remains closed.