Regular OSHA Operations Resume on Gulf Coast

OSHA has restarted regular operations throughout Louisiana. Prior to Sept. 15th, OSHA had exempted New Orleans and various southern parishes from its normal enforcement operations resulting from last year's hurricanes along the U.S. Gulf Coast. According to an OSHA news release, this action enabled OSHA staff to provide faster and more flexible responses to hazards facing workers involved in the cleanup and recovery. Thousands of crews and individual workers received job safety and health technical assistance. OSHA limited inspections to cases involving fatalities, catastrophic accidents or complaints.

OSHA has now resumed its full range of normal activities, including enforcement and compliance assistance in New Orleans and the parishes of Jefferson, Plaquemines, Orleans, St. Bernard's, St. Tamanay, Cameron, and Calcasieu. This move is in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's transition from National Emergency Response Operations to Long Term Recovery Operations in New Orleans.