OSHA Launches 'OSHA Cares' Initiative and Safety Champions Program: What Employers Need to Know

In a significant shift toward a more collaborative approach to workplace safety, OSHA announced two new programs in March 2026 that signal a broader change in how the agency engages with employers. The OSHA Cares initiative, announced on March 18, and the Safety Champions Program, launched on March 16, together represent one of the most substantial expansions of OSHA's compliance assistance efforts in recent years.

For employers — especially small and medium-sized businesses that often struggle to keep pace with safety regulations — these programs could change how they interact with the agency. But what do they actually include, and how should employers respond?

The OSHA Cares Initiative

The OSHA Cares initiative is an agency-wide effort focused on helping businesses meet federal workplace safety requirements while building strong safety and health programs. According to the official announcement, OSHA Cares "highlights the ways OSHA can support employers and provide guidance to ensure all workers arrive home safely after every shift."

The initiative has several key components:

Expanded Compliance Assistance

OSHA is increasing access to its compliance assistance specialists and safety experts. The agency is making a concerted effort to appear more approachable to employers by emphasizing the benefits of reaching out for help or collaborating with the agency. This is particularly aimed at small and medium-sized businesses that face unique safety challenges and may not have dedicated safety staff.

Real-Time Assistance During Inspections

One of the most notable elements of OSHA Cares is a new training program from OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs that will standardize how Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) provide real-time compliance assistance during inspections and enforcement activities. In practice, this means that during an OSHA inspection, employers can expect inspectors to offer direct guidance on correcting hazards — not just document violations.

This represents a meaningful procedural change. Historically, OSHA inspectors have focused primarily on identifying and citing violations during walkarounds. While informal conversations have always occurred, a formal training program to standardize compliance assistance during inspections is new.

Updated Workplace Poster

As part of the initiative, OSHA also released an updated version of the workplace poster that employers are required to display. The new design features a modern look and includes messaging aimed at bringing employers and workers together to address safety hazards and concerns collaboratively.

Employers should check whether they are displaying the most current version of the poster. While OSHA does not typically cite employers solely for using an older version of the poster (as long as it contains the required information), displaying the updated version signals compliance awareness.

The Safety Champions Program

Announced two days before the OSHA Cares initiative, the Safety Champions Program is a new cooperative program designed to help employers develop and implement effective safety and health programs through a structured, progressive framework.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer described the program as exemplifying "the Trump Administration's commitment to supporting and empowering job creators" by giving employers resources to keep workers "healthy and safe on the job." (DOL News Release, March 16, 2026)

How the Program Works

The Safety Champions Program is voluntary, self-guided, and open to all private- and public-sector worksites covered by OSHA. It is distinct from OSHA's existing Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), which requires a more rigorous application and review process.

The program has three progressive tiers:

1. Introductory: Focuses on foundational actions — creating written safety policies, establishing safety committees, conducting initial hazard inventories, and building training plans.
2. Intermediate: Moves into implementation — putting policies into practice, increasing worker involvement, conducting semi-annual hazard inspections, and providing refresher training.
3. Advanced: Requires mature, fully integrated safety programs with routine self-inspections (at least monthly), annual trend analyses of safety data, and continuous improvement processes.

Employers can work independently through the program or collaborate with Special Government Employees (SGEs) — individuals with safety and health experience who work alongside OSHA to provide guidance and technical assistance. Participants track their progress using an OSHA Safety Champions Tracker.

The Seven Core Elements

The program is structured around seven elements that OSHA considers essential for effective safety and health programs:

1. Management leadership — Visible commitment from leadership to workplace safety
2. Worker participation — Engaging employees in safety planning and hazard identification
3. Hazard identification and assessment — Systematic processes for finding and evaluating workplace hazards
4. Hazard prevention and control — Implementing controls to eliminate or reduce identified hazards
5. Education and training — Ongoing safety training for all levels of the organization
6. Program evaluation and improvement — Regular review and refinement of safety programs
7. Communication and coordination — Especially important for worksites with contractors and staffing agencies

These elements align with OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs, which have long served as the agency's framework for effective workplace safety management.

How These Programs Fit Together

The OSHA Cares initiative and the Safety Champions Program are complementary. OSHA Cares provides the overarching philosophy — a more collaborative, assistance-oriented agency — while the Safety Champions Program gives employers a concrete, structured pathway to improve their safety programs.

Together, they signal that OSHA is expanding the tools available beyond traditional enforcement. This does not mean enforcement is going away. OSHA penalties for 2026 remain significant:

• Serious violations: Up to $16,550 per violation
• Willful or repeat violations: Up to $165,514 per violation
• Failure to abate: Up to $16,550 per day past the abatement date

Just this month, OSHA issued substantial penalties in multiple cases — including over $326,000 against a Chicago-area bakery for repeat lockout/tagout violations, and more than $276,000 against a grain silo operator for willful violations after a worker suffered a serious injury. (Lion Technology, OSHA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 3/23)

The message is clear: OSHA is offering more help, but not lowering the bar for compliance.

What This Means for Employers

These new programs create opportunities for employers who are proactive about safety. Here's how to take advantage of them:

1. Evaluate Your Current Safety Program

Before enrolling in the Safety Champions Program, take an honest inventory of where your safety program stands today. Do you have:

• A written safety and health policy?
• An active safety committee with worker representation?
• Documented hazard assessments?
• Regular training programs with records of attendance?
• A process for incident reporting and investigation?

If you're missing any of these foundational elements, the Introductory tier of the Safety Champions Program is a good starting point.

2. Contact OSHA for Compliance Assistance

The OSHA Cares initiative is explicitly designed to make the agency more approachable. Employers should take OSHA up on this offer. Resources include:

• OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program: Free, confidential safety and health advice for small and medium-sized businesses. Consultation visits are separate from enforcement and do not result in citations or penalties.
• Compliance Assistance Specialists: Regional OSHA staff who provide training, outreach, and guidance to employers and workers.
• OSHA Training Institute Education Centers: Authorized providers of OSHA safety courses across the country.

3. Enroll in the Safety Champions Program

Visit OSHA's Safety Champions webpage to access program guides, tracking tools, and fact sheets. The self-guided nature of the program means you can start at any time and move at your own pace. For employers who want more hands-on support, request collaboration with an SGE through OSHA.

4. Update Your Workplace Poster

Download and display the updated OSHA workplace poster. It's a quick, visible way to demonstrate your commitment to a collaborative safety culture.

5. Document Everything

Participation in OSHA's cooperative programs is not a shield against enforcement. However, demonstrating good faith efforts to comply with safety standards — through program enrollment, training records, hazard assessments, and corrective actions — can work in your favor if OSHA does inspect your workplace. Good faith effort is one of the factors OSHA considers when calculating penalty reductions.

Looking Ahead

The launch of OSHA Cares and the Safety Champions Program comes during a period of intensifying enforcement activity. According to Bloomberg Law, safety agencies are showing no signs of relaxing enforcement for 2026, even as they expand compliance assistance resources.

For employers, the takeaway is straightforward: OSHA is making it easier than ever to get help, but violations will still carry serious consequences. The employers who benefit most from these new programs will be those who engage with them now — before an inspection, not after.

Visit OSHA.gov to explore the OSHA Cares initiative, enroll in the Safety Champions Program, or connect with a compliance assistance specialist in your region.

Sources

• US Department of Labor's OSHA Cares initiative strengthens customer service, expands compliance assistance (OSHA News Release, March 18, 2026)
• US Department of Labor launches OSHA Safety Champions Program to advance workplace safety and health (OSHA News Release, March 16, 2026)
• OSHA Safety Champions Program
• OSHA Cares
• OSHA Penalties
• OSHA Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs
• OSHA On-Site Consultation Program
• OSHA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 3/23 (Lion Technology, March 2026)
• Safety Agencies Show No Signs of Relaxing Enforcement for 2026 (Bloomberg Law)
• OSHA Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster