ASSP 2026 Conference & Expo Remarks

- As Prepared for Delivery -

Assistant Secretary Dave Keeling
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Anaheim, California

OPENING

• Good morning. It’s great to be here and reconnect with so many familiar faces. Thank you for the opportunity to talk not only about the work OSHA is doing, but also about how all of us can play a role in better protecting workers and ensuring they return home safely at the end of each day.
• Their safety and wellbeing drive our mission, and I’m excited to share how we’re focusing our efforts on strengthening workplace safety and health across the country.

OSHA CARES

• When people think about OSHA, they often think about inspections, citations and fines. Historically, OSHA has been viewed as only an enforcement agency.
• While those tools are important and remain a critical part of our mission, that’s only part of the story.
• At its core, however, OSHA is about helping employers prevent injuries, protect workers, and build safer work environments. Because when workers are safe, businesses are stronger and our economy benefits.
• Over the past several months, I’ve been reminded of why that work matters.
• I’ve had the opportunity to meet with workers, employers, labor leaders, unions, safety professionals, and many of our valued partners across the country.
• I’ve visited worksites, attended events, and participated in conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing workplace safety today.
• One theme has consistently come from those conversations – people want to engage with OSHA. They want practical guidance, resources, and a trusted partner who can help them identify hazards and strengthen their safety programs.
• That is why our initiative OSHA CARES is so important.
• OSHA CARES represents our commitment to a more proactive and collaborative approach to workplace safety and health. It reflects our belief that strong enforcement and strong partnerships are not competing priorities; they are complementary ones.
• We recognize that most employers want to do the right thing, for the right reasons. Workers deserve safe and healthy workplaces, and lasting progress happens when government, employers, workers, and safety professionals collaborate to identify hazards and prevent incidents before they happen.
• That is why we launched OSHA CARES this year—an agency-wide effort focused on helping businesses meet workplace safety requirements while building strong safety and health programs that support long-term success.
• As part of this effort, we unveiled an updated OSHA workplace poster that reflects a more modern and collaborative approach, emphasizing shared responsibility for identifying and addressing hazards.
• We also expanded access to OSHA experts and compliance assistance resources, improving training and educational materials, and helping ensure employers receive consistent guidance and support during workplace visits.
• The goal is simple: prevent injuries, save lives, and help businesses succeed.
• And we know this approach works.
• One success is our Voluntary Protection Programs, which recognize employers that go above and beyond compliance to build exceptional safety and health cultures.
• A great example is Miter Brands. The company often speaks about how safety is championed throughout the organization through VPP—from line leaders to the CEO. They know that when safety is embedded in their culture, employees feel empowered to raise concerns, identify hazards, and contribute to solutions. That commitment protects workers while strengthening the company’s long-term success.
• That is exactly the type of partnership and shared ownership of safety that OSHA CARES seeks to encourage.
• But as we talk about partnerships and prevention, we must never lose sight of why this work matters.
• During my visits, some of the most significant conversations I had were during our Workers Memorial Day events.
• Each year, Workers Memorial Day serves as a solemn reminder that behind every workplace fatality statistic is a human story. It’s a day to honor workers who lost their lives or were injured on the job and commit to preventing future tragedies.
• What struck me most was that, despite their unimaginable loss, so many families were focused not on themselves, but on protecting others.
• They wanted answers. They wanted accountability. But more than anything, they wanted change.
• They wanted their loved one’s story to serve as a catalyst for action so that another family would not have to experience the same heartbreak.
• There is a lesson in that for all of us.
• If families can demonstrate that kind of selflessness in the face of such devastating loss, then we, as a safety and health community, have a responsibility to match that commitment.
• One question I often ask my staff is: What did you leave them with?
• At OSHA, we want every interaction—every inspection, every meeting, every conversation—to leave an employer better than we found them. Better informed. Better equipped. Better prepared to protect workers and prevent incidents.
• Because at the end of the day, safety is not about regulations, paperwork, or statistics. It is about people.
• And protecting people requires more than good intentions. It requires training, resources, strong safety and health management systems, and committed leadership.
• Our goal is to help businesses build on these foundations through a layered approach that integrates prevention and continuous improvement at every level.
• But government cannot do it alone. Employers cannot do it alone. Workers cannot do it alone.
• The most meaningful impact occurs when we work together.

OSHA INITIATIVES

• That’s why we’re taking a proactive, multifaceted approach – one that values compliance assistance as an essential strategy alongside traditional enforcement.
• Current priorities that reflect our approach:
  • Working more closely with small businesses because they are the backbone of our economy and sometimes need additional support to keep workers safe.
  • Listening to our stakeholders and making sure that employers and workers help guide our decisions.
  • Building greater collaboration, because we can make a real impact when we come together.
    • This is where safety and health professionals and organizations like yours can make a real difference. You can help connect us with employers and workers and equip them with practical resources that can improve workplace safety and health. By working together, we can make sure this information reaches the people who need it most.
  • Investing in and increasing the use of compliance assistance to give employers the tools and knowledge they need to protect workers to prevent tragedies.
• We are actively applying these priorities to some of our initiatives to improve and support strong safety and health programs.
• One of those is through our Letters of Interpretation – our official responses to questions about how workplace requirements apply to specific situations or hazards.
  • Letters are a valuable resource for understanding and complying with OSHA standards in specific workplace situations.
• Updated penalty and debt collection procedures to support compliance and prevention.
  • Reductions have expanded for small businesses
  • 70% penalty reduction for businesses with up to 25 employees (previously limited to 10 or fewer employees); new 15% reduction for employers who promptly address hazards
• We’re also offering support to meet businesses where they are on their safety journey.
• Expanding the work we do collaboratively through our cooperative programs.
  • Increasing awareness of On-Site Consultation Programs
  • Modernizing our Voluntary Protection Program, which is how OSHA recognizes employers and workers in the private industry and federal agencies who have implemented effective safety and health management systems.
    • VPP has provided a solid foundation for workplace safety for more than 4 decades.
    • But a lot has changed. Workplaces look different. The risks workers face has evolved and continue to do so all the time.
    • And the strategies for managing workplace safety and health have also advanced.
    • That’s why it’s essential for OSHA's approach to voluntary and recognition programs to evolve as well – so they can meet the needs of today’s workforce.
  • We know not every business is ready for VPP or has the resources to dedicate to the program, so we recently launched our new Safety Champions Program to help employers develop new or improve existing safety and health programs to prevent workplace injuries and fatalities.
• While education and outreach are important tools, they go hand in hand with strong enforcement.
• That work includes continuing to engage employers and industry leaders on heat safety.
• Recently, we updated our heat NEP to focus on industries using current data from BLS and OSHA with high rates of heat-related illness and where heat-related incidents have resulted in a citation or hazard alert letter.
  • Compliance officers will continue to conduct outreach and compliance assistance and expand any inspection where there is evidence of heat-related hazards on heat priority days.
  • Additionally, compliance officers will conduct inspections focused on heat hazards in high-risk industries on days when the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory or warning.
  • The new NEP also adds new coding for Worksite Assistance and Unprogrammed Emphasis Hazards, ensuring clearer guidance, improved tracking, and more effective implementation of the NEP’s enforcement and outreach efforts.

RULEMAKING EFFORTS

• Another critical part of our work is determining the Administration’s regulatory and deregulatory priorities.
• Modernization is a better way to look at it.
• Priority actions aimed at reducing unnecessary burdens, modernizing outdated rules and prioritizing clarity and efficiency.
  • Heat – We continue to examine how to establish standards specifically related to heat-related injury and illness prevention.
  • Lockout/Tagout – We are working hard on it and are looking very closely at the ANSI standard as a potential approach.
  • HazCom – Last month, the compliance dates began for our update to the Hazard Communication Standard final rulemaking. The standard is aimed at improving classification labels and safety data sheets for better worker protection.
  • We recently published a proposed rule removing the 2036 deadline for upgrading existing fixed ladders with fall protection. This allows employers more flexibility to update them at the end of their service life – while maintaining the requirement that all new ladders include safety systems.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

• As we continue to modernize our safety regulations through rulemaking, we recognize that both workplace hazards and workforce needs are evolving rapidly.
• Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming industries, creating new opportunities while also changing the skills workers need to succeed.
• At the Labor Department, we believe the greatest challenge posed by AI is not job displacement, but the speed of change. That is why we are investing in AI literacy and workforce training programs to help workers adapt and benefit from these advancements.
• At the same time, we are using technology in a variety of ways across OSHA:
  • Helping streamline the whistleblower complaint process
  • Providing tools that assist our CSHOs in conducting more efficient inspections in the field.
  • And leveraging technology to analyze and organize public comments submitted during the rulemaking process. These efforts help us work more efficiently while continuing to support our mission.
• Even as technology and work practices evolve, our mission remains the same: protecting workers, making safety a priority, and ensuring every worker can go home safe and healthy at the end of the day.
• By staying ahead of these developments, we are making sure that we’re not reactive but preventative, protecting workers and building a safe, sustainable workforce.

CLOSING

• Before I wrap up, I want to highlight something that affects all of us and doesn’t get talked about enough—mental health and workplace stress.
• We all face challenges from time to time, so we have to do more in this space – starting conversations and reaching when something feels off. Supporting each other on this topic and bringing more awareness can make a real difference.
• OSHA and this Administration are united in our commitment to protecting the health and safety of workers.
• As we move forward, we have an opportunity to break down silos, strengthen collaboration, and learn from one another’s experiences and expertise.
• By working together, supporting one another, and keeping worker safety at the center of everything we do, OSHA can continue to lead the way in advancing safety and health.
• EVERYONE in this room has a role to play, and together, we can make a difference in the lives of workers and their families.
• Thanks again for being here today. I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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