The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has completed a restructuring of its regional operations, aiming to enhance worker protection and employer education in expanding businesses and growing workforces across several southeastern states.

OSHA has merged its San Francisco and Seattle regions into a single regional office. The regions, previously known as Regions 9 and 10, will now be collectively referred to as the San Francisco region under the agency's new geographic designations.

Additionally, OSHA has established a new region based in Birmingham to serve Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Florida Panhandle.

The renaming of the regions is as follows:

- Region 1: Boston

- Region 2: New York City

- Region 3: Philadelphia

- Region 4: Atlanta

- Region 5: Chicago

- Region 6: Dallas

- Region 7: Kansas City

- Region 8: Denver

- Regions 9/10: San Francisco

The newly created Birmingham region will be led by experienced OSHA leaders Dorinda Hughes and Jack Rector. Hughes has held various positions within OSHA since joining in 1991, including deputy regional administrator and area director. Rector joined OSHA in 2003 and has served as an OSHA safety and health compliance officer among other roles.

According to OSHA officials, this restructuring aims to bring offices closer to communities needing services while strengthening the agency’s presence in the southeastern U.S. The agency expects these changes to reduce response times to complaints, fatalities, imminent danger situations, and significant events.

Learn more about OSHA.