2027 safety meeting requirements by state
We read the rules behind our state pages again, at the source, on October 31, 2026, to see what moves for 2027.
The meeting rules themselves don't move. No state that sets a meeting interval or requires a safety committee has announced a change for 2027. What does change is around the meeting: a trench work plan in Washington, a PPE fit rule on its way there, new hazard communication dates, the 2027 comp rates, and a California workplace violence standard that is due but not yet adopted. Each one is below with the rule, the date and where to read it.
For this year's rules, the full table for all 50 states and DC is on Safety meeting and JSA requirements by state.
The short version
- Meeting intervals: no change announced. California every 10 working days, Washington at the start of each job and weekly, Oregon monthly and before each job lasting more than a week. All three as of October 31, 2026.
- Safety committee states: no change announced. Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina and Tennessee, plus the program rules in Hawaii and Michigan and Pennsylvania's voluntary committee.
- Federal OSHA: no new construction rule with a 2027 date. No final OSHA rule published in 2026 sets a 2027 effective date for construction. The federal heat rule is still a proposal.
- What does move: Washington's trench work plan (in force since June 1, 2026), Washington's proposed PPE fit rule (adoption intended March 2, 2027), hazard communication dates for chemical mixtures (November 2027 and May 2028 under the federal rule), and Washington's 2027 workers' comp rates (effective January 1, 2027).
The three states that set a meeting interval
| State | The rule | Last changed | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Toolbox or tailgate meetings with the crew at least every 10 working days. 8 CCR 1509(e) | Operative February 15, 1991 | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Washington | Crew leader-crew safety meetings at the beginning of each job, and at least weekly after that. WAC 296-155-110(5) | Effective May 20, 2016 | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Oregon | Construction: at least monthly, and before the start of each job that lasts more than one week. A written record of each meeting kept three years. OAR 437-001-0765 | Effective September 11, 2024 | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
What each record has to contain is on the state guides: Washington, California, Oregon.
Safety committee and program states
| State | The rule today | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | Safety committee for employers over 25 employees, and for smaller employers in AWAIR industries. Minn. Stat. 182.676, last amended 2023. The AWAIR industry list (Minn. R. 5208.1500) was amended effective March 17, 2025 (rule status). | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Montana | Safety committee for employers with more than five employees, meeting at least every four months. Montana DLI | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Nevada | Written safety program above 10 employees; safety committee above 25. NRS 618.383 | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| New Hampshire | Written safety program and joint loss management committee at 15 or more employees. RSA 281-A:64, last amended 2020. | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Connecticut | Safety and health committee at 25 or more employees, or when the injury and illness rate is above the state average. Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-40v | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| North Carolina | At an experience rate modifier of 1.5 or above, a written program, and a committee at 11 or more employees. 13 NCAC 7A .0600 | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Tennessee | Safety committee at an experience modification of 1.20 or greater, when the Commissioner finds it. Rule 0800-02-03-.03, last amended 2007. | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Hawaii | Written safety and health program from 10 employees, or fewer with more than $100,000 of contract work for the State. HAR 12-110-2, last amended October 27, 2018. | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Michigan | Accident prevention program for construction employers, a copy at the worksite. R 408.40114, effective November 4, 2015. | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | Voluntary. A committee certified by the Bureau of Workers' Compensation earns a 5 percent premium discount each year: four members, monthly meetings, training. PA L&I | No change announced as of October 31, 2026 |
Everywhere else, the duty is federal OSHA's: instruct each employee in recognizing and avoiding unsafe conditions (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)). No change announced as of October 31, 2026.
What does change in 2027
Washington
Trench work plans (in force since June 1, 2026). Before anyone enters a trench that needs a protective system, a competent person completes a written trench excavation work plan. L&I offers one on its website, or you can write your own that covers the items the rule lists. A competent person stays on the job site while trench work is going on, the plan is available on site for inspection, and the crew is trained on the plan before they go in. WAC 296-155-655(13), adopted by WSR 26-09-113.
PPE that fits (proposed). L&I proposes to write into WAC 296-155-200 what the federal construction rule has said since January 13, 2025: PPE must fit the person wearing it. Hearings are 10 and November 16, 2026, written comments are open until November 23, 2026, and L&I's intended adoption date is March 2, 2027. L&I notes that is not the effective date.
Hazard communication dates. Washington's rule, as written today, gives July 20, 2026 for substances, July 19, 2027 for manufacturers, importers and distributors evaluating mixtures, and January 19, 2028 for employers to update labels, the written program and training for mixtures (WAC 296-901-14020). Federal OSHA moved its dates four months later in January 2026 (see Federal, below), and L&I's rules agenda lists an expedited rulemaking to match, with adoption anticipated in May 2027.
Workers' comp rates for 2027. L&I proposed a 4.9 percent increase in the average hourly rate on September 22, 2026. Final rates are adopted November 30 and take effect January 1, 2027 (L&I).
Open, with no rule text yet. L&I's agenda lists early-stage work on the length of a safety committee member's term (WAC 296-800-13020), indoor heat, and lead. None has a proposed rule as of October 31, 2026.
California
Workplace violence prevention. Labor Code 6401.9 has been enforceable since July 1, 2024: a written workplace violence prevention plan, a violent incident log, training, and records (the log, hazard and investigation records kept five years, training records one year, per Cal/OSHA). The law lists a few employers it does not cover; read the list before you assume either way. The Standards Board is required to adopt a permanent standard no later than December 31, 2026. As of October 31, 2026, Cal/OSHA's rulemaking page shows a revised draft from July 22, 2026 and an advisory meeting on October 27, 2026, and no adopted standard. Until one is adopted, the statute is the rule.
Oregon
Penalty amounts. Oregon OSHA adjusts its penalties every year, effective January 1, by bulletin (OAR 437-001-0142). The method was revised permanently on September 30, 2026 (AO 2-2026). We had not seen the 2027 amounts as of October 31, 2026.
Hazard communication. Oregon adopted the revised federal dates, effective July 1, 2026 (AO 1-2026, adopted rules).
Oregon also adopted workplace violence prevention rules for health care employers, effective January 1, 2027 (AO 3-2026). They are written for health care employers.
Federal OSHA (every state)
Hazard communication. Construction follows the same rule as general industry (29 CFR 1926.59). After the January 2026 extension (Federal Register 2026-00653):
| Who | Substances | Mixtures |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturers, importers, distributors | May 19, 2026 | November 19, 2027 |
| Employers: update workplace labels, the written program, and training on newly identified hazards | November 20, 2026 | May 19, 2028 |
State plans set their own dates; Washington's are above.
Heat. Still a proposal. The current federal regulatory agenda lists a supplemental proposal for December 2026 and final action for October 2027 (RIN 1218-AD39). Those are the agency's estimates, not dates any employer has to meet. State heat rules, like Washington's outdoor heat rule, still apply.
Penalties. There was no inflation increase for 2026. The maximum is $16,550 per serious violation and $165,514 per willful or repeat violation (OSHA, May 21, 2026). The law calls for each year's adjustment by January 15; the 2026 notice came in May, with no increase. No 2027 amounts announced as of October 31, 2026.
Construction standards. None of the OSHA final rules published in the Federal Register between January 1 and October 31, 2026 sets a 2027 effective date for construction (Federal Register). Proposals are open, such as removing the construction illumination rules (proposed July 1, 2025), and none of them is final.
The dates that come every year.
- February 1 to April 30, 2027: post the OSHA 300A summary for 2026, certified by a company executive (29 CFR 1904.32).
- By March 2, 2027: establishments that must submit electronically send their 2026 data (29 CFR 1904.41). Whether that is you depends on headcount and industry; OSHA's coverage tool answers it.
What Tailboard does with this
- It counts down to your state's interval. Tell it where you work and the dashboard counts to the deadline that state names, with the citation next to it. In a state with no rule it says so and falls back to a weekly habit.
- The crew signs on their own phone. No app and no account for the crew. The record shows who was there, what was covered and when each person signed, and anyone you give the code to can check it at tailboardsafety.com/verify.
- Talks in English or Spanish, each with the OSHA reference on it, and your own topics on the bigger plans, so a talk on the new trench plan or on reading the new labels is one you can write.
A signed meeting record shows who attended. It does not, by itself, show that a training requirement was met; that is between you, the rule and your own safety professional.
How we checked
Every rule on this page was read at its source on October 31, 2026, and each link goes to that source. Tennessee, Michigan and the Oregon penalty rule were read on Cornell's Legal Information Institute copy of the official text. Where a date is an agency's estimate, the page says so. Rules change; follow the link before you rely on any line, and treat this as a starting point for a conversation with your state's consultation service.
This page summarizes published regulations and is not legal advice. Whether a rule applies to your operation, and whether you have met it, is between you, your regulator and your own safety professional. Most states run a free consultation service that does not issue citations.
Tailboard provides general safety education based on published OSHA standards and guidance. It is not legal advice, not a site-specific safety program, and not a substitute for hazard assessment by a competent person. You remain responsible for the safety of your job sites.