At the end of every year, I like to look at what resonated most with readers. In 2025, there were no surprises! Every single article in ISHN’s top 10 most-read list is about the federal government, changes, updates and what to expect as most of 2025 was full of questions and analysis. OSHA, the Chemical Safety Board, NIOSH, and other federal agencies that deal with worker safety were under fire as the Trump Administration looked to make big changes, cut budgets and lay off hundreds of government employees. Readers turned to ISHN for the news updates, columns from our safety experts ruminating on what they thought would happen, and podcasts with officials for more insight.

The following are our most popular articles and podcasts from 2025. I find it interesting that not a single one is about everyday safety concerns, training or safety culture. In 2024, those types of articles were included in the top 10 alongside news.

1. Deregulation of OSHA to Reduce the Burden on Business

The most popular ISHN article of 2025 by far was this one written by retired safety expert Bernard Fontaine. His articles breaking down what was happening with OSHA and federal agencies were a hit with readers this year. He writes: “Regulatory actions, when carefully designed, serve critical societal purposes, such as safeguarding workers, public health, and the environment. However, these regulations come with compliance costs that can burden businesses, leading to missed opportunities and higher operational expenses. Balancing these dynamics remains a persistent challenge.

For decades, the scope of U.S. regulations has expanded, increasing the financial demands on the economy. While these workplace rules aim to mitigate risks and liabilities, thus lowering costs to businesses, communities, and governments, the debate on regulatory efficiency persists. For instance, the 2020 federal budget revealed that OSHA’s enforcement and consultative services cost employers approximately $5 annually per business. This modest investment underscores the agency’s pivotal role in worker health and safety.”

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2. The Top 10 OSHA Penalties of 2025

While some companies pay nothing for a standard violation, others are issued fines exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars. In rare instances, they have spent over $1 million. This article highlighted examples of OSHA violations represent the top 10 penalties for 2025, as well as the price of not complying and how to adjust.

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3. Trump Administration to Reconsider Asbestos Ban

In March 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ban the use and import of asbestos — a known carcinogen still presents in some vehicles and industrial facilities in the United States. This was the first chemical banned under a 2016 update to the chemical safety law. The ban targeted chrysotile asbestos, which is the only form currently used or imported in the U.S. and came after the previous Trump administration postponed similar action. This article gave us a solid breakdown of what that meant and what it could mean for the future.

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4. The Hidden Cost of Occupational Illnesses and Diseases

Occupational illness and diseases impose significant hidden cost on businesses, workers, and society, extending far beyond immediate medical expenses. These often-delayed costs encompass both direct and indirect expenses, many of which are often overlooked. Beyond their immediate human costs, they impose a substantial financial burden on organizations including damage to reputation, brand and image for investors and other stakeholders. Occupational health programs employ multiple strategies to reduce this financial burden and develop a healthier workforce.

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5. The Demise of NIOSH – Could OSHA Be Next?

In April 1, 2025, at least two-thirds of the NIOSH staff were being laid off as part of a restructuring ordered by DHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., multiple federal health officials told CBS News. Around 873 staff were cut from NIOSH, out of the 10,000 workers slated to be laid off from DHHS this year. NIOSH was created by Congress in 1970 to study worker safety and health. Workplaces often turn to NIOSH to investigate outbreaks like the deadly fungal outbreak in a Michigan paper mill in 2023. New "Health Hazard Evaluation" (HHE) probes by NIOSH were paused for several weeks under travel and communication restrictions.

Some of those jobs were since reinstated, however the impact was still felt.

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6. U.S. Chemical Safety Board Could be Eliminated

The Trump administration had proposed to eliminate the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) by October 2026, citing fiscal responsibility and redundancy with existing regulatory agencies. This proposal, embedded in the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, has sparked bipartisan opposition in Congress and concern among industry groups.

This article is a great primer on what the Chemical Safety Board does.

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7. Will OSHA Survive? The Agency Has Never Faced Times Like These

While this article feels like doom and gloom, the beginning of 2025 did feel unpredictable and scary for those who worked at the federal agency.

OSHA will be shrunk, contracted, downsized with fewer inspections, fewer citations, staff shortages, significant vacancies, and no realistic timetable for new regs, according to many Washington OSHA insiders. But it won’t be abolished, wrote Dave Johnson in this realist’s take on the issues.

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8. Podcast: How the Trump Administration Could Reshape OSHA’s Priorities

In this January ISHN podcast, I discussed the Trump administration’s approach to workplace safety and health compared to the previous administration with safety expert Heather Chapman, MS, CSP, CHMM, CEAS. Chapman shared insights into the potential impact of the new administration on OSHA and its enforcement activities.

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9. Former OSHA Chief Dr. David Michaels: Closing OSHA Offices Will Increase Worker Injuries, Illnesses, Deaths

In an ISHN exclusive feature written by Dr. David Michaels, he wrote: Government efficiency is important to everyone. And the government has always had specialists that investigate whether federal agencies are using taxpayer dollars efficiently. Those are the Inspector Generals that oversee the ethics and efficiency of every government agency. Unfortunately, Trump has fired many of them — including the Department of Labor’s I.G. Instead, twenty-somethings with no experience in government are making the decisions that are literally a matter of life and death for this nation’s workers.

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10. NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard Dismissed in 5 a.m. Email on April 1

NIOSH personnel on April 1, 2025, told one of the occupational safety and health associations that all agency staff, including NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard, received reduction-in-force emails at 5 a.m. This sparked outrage in the safety world as approximately 873 staff from a total of more than 1,300 employees were expected to be cut from NIOSH at the time.

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