Lawmakers balk at Nevada OSHA push to weaken job safety standards

April Corbin Girnus, Nevada CurrentTue, July 7, 2026 at 5:43 PM UTC

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Nevada lawmakers last week punted on a proposal to weaken the state’s worker safety standards.

The Nevada Legislative Commission, which gives final approval to regulations drafted by state agencies, did not vote on a proposal by the Division of Industrial Relations to align the state’s penalty structure with a more lax penalty structure adopted by the federal government last year. Instead, the lawmakers deferred the proposed regulation to a future meeting.

The deferral came after two Democrats, state Sens. Skip Daly and Rochelle Nguyen, said they believe lowering penalty amounts for employers in violation of occupational safety standards would not benefit workers. The 12-member commission is composed of eight Democrats and four Republicans.

The U.S. Department of Labor in July 2025 announced changes to OSHA federal guidelines, expanding the availability of penalty reductions for businesses found violating safety standards. For example, businesses with 10 or fewer employees were eligible for a 70% reduction. Now, at the federal level, businesses employing up to 25 employees are.

Nevada OSHA recommended the state align itself with the federal standards, which are less stringent than current state policy.

“We are not required to lower our standards in this state to match lower standards that have been adopted” at the federal level, said Daly. “We can have higher, more stringent, more penalties (and) safer work environments than the feds are requiring.”

Nguyen agreed.

“I don’t feel comfortable taking away penalties we have in place just because we can,” she said. “It’s our job to protect those employees.”

State Sen. Ira Hansen, a Republican who owns a plumbing company, said businesses sometimes find themselves facing a minimum $25,000 OSHA fine “for a relatively minor thing.” He argued allowing reductions for small businesses that are doing their best is reasonable.

Division of Industrial Relations Administrator Victoria Carreón told lawmakers the division does not believe a lowered penalty structure would harm workers.

“The purpose of the penalties in OSHA is to provide a deterrent effect for businesses and to help prevent future violations of safety standards,” she said. “We think there’s still a sufficient deterrent effect.”

Daly strongly disagreed. He took issue with one change that would allow for an up to 80% penalty reduction for employers who have committed “serious, willful violations.”

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“So they knew,” he said. “They had knowledge, they did it anyway, and we’re still going to give them a reduction for that? I’m not seeing how that’s a deterrent.”

Daly said the state already has programs and policies in place that reduce penalty amounts, including ones for small businesses.

Carreón acknowledged that Nevada OSHA and employers often reach expedited settlement agreements, which come with a 50% reduction in penalties: “Those are given out frequently.”

She suggested that lower fines could lead to OSHA and employers resolving penalties more quickly, which is good for everyone because hazards don’t have to be abated until a final order is issued.

“The faster we can get hazards abated the safer the workers can be,” Carreón added.

Groups representing workers expressed their opposition during the Legislative Commission’s public comment period.

Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada Chief of Staff Wendy Colborne told lawmakers that, in 2024, Nevada workers suffered “tens of thousands of job injuries that were serious enough to be reported” and “21,000 were serious enough to keep them off the job or on restricted duty.”

“Behind every one of those numbers is a worker,” she continued. “A father, a mother, a son, a daughter, who went to work and didn’t come home the same.”

Colborne told the Nevada Current after the deferral that the group is “happy and relieved” that lawmakers chose not to make it “easier and cheaper” for employers who don’t follow safety standards.

“In our experience, it’s these fines that force them to make changes and avoid these problems on the job site,” she added.

The Communications Workers of America Local 9413 also publicly opposed the proposed regulatory changes. Chapter President Marc Ellis, who noted that he is still out in the field climbing telephone poles, said passing the regulation would be selling off workers’ safety.

“You’re telling companies, ‘Hey, it’s alright if you put Marc in harm’s way, as long as you pay a smaller fine?’ I oppose,” he added.

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Lawmakers balk at Nevada OSHA push to weaken job safety standards

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