Labor & Employment (Workplace Safety)

SB 2275 would create a new Office of Workplace Safety and Health within Mississippi's Department of Health, directly affecting all employers (including public employers) and workers across the state. The office would establish and enforce occupational safety and health standards, conduct inspections (including mandatory annual visits to workplaces using child labor), and collect data on work-related injuries. It would also handle child labor enforcement, requiring inspections of mills and factories employing minors, and coordinate with federal OSHA without replacing its authority. The bill specifies the office could develop safety rules, provide employer consultations, and impose fines for non-compliance with safety or child labor regulations.

HB 635 would amend Mississippi's workers' compensation law to deny benefits if an employee's injury resulted from intentionally breaking a specific, reasonable safety rule they knew about. Employers would need to prove three things: the rule was written clearly, communicated to the employee before the injury, and directly related to preventing harm. This change would affect employees injured while violating known safety protocols, shifting the burden of proof to employers seeking to deny compensation. The bill, which died in committee in February 2026, does not change existing exceptions for drug use or self-harm.

SB 2770, the Mississippi Workplace Safety Act, restricts workplace safety inspectors (from OSHA or other authorities) from allowing nonemployee representatives (like union officials or outside experts) to accompany them during inspections unless specific conditions are met, such as the representative having relevant industry expertise or language skills. Employers must receive written credentials of any such representative before an inspection begins, and they are not required to pay for these representatives or allow them without a warrant. The bill enables employers to seek court orders to stop violations, claim damages for infringements, and imposes a $10,000 civil penalty for government inspectors who knowingly violate the law. It also bars government from using sovereign immunity as a defense in related lawsuits and ensures that if part of the law is deemed unconstitutional, the remaining provisions stay in effect.