Illinois Joins Multi-State Effort Opposing Proposed Federal Workplace Safety Rollback

CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul co-led a coalition of states in filing comments opposing a federal proposal that would limit OSHA’s ability to hold employers accountable for known hazards in high-risk professions. The proposed rule would reinterpret the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, narrowing enforcement for industries such as live performances, animal training, motorsports and extreme sports, and potentially leaving workers without federal safety protections. The coalition, which includes attorneys general from 12 other states and labor agencies in Maine and Oregon, argued that the rule conflicts with the OSH Act and could create confusion for employers and regulators while reducing worker protections nationwide.