The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has restructured its regional operations, creating a new region based in Birmingham to improve services in several southeastern states. This change aims to better protect workers and educate employers as businesses expand and workforces grow.

The newly established Birmingham region will serve Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Florida Panhandle. Additionally, OSHA has expanded its San Francisco region by merging operations previously designated as Regions 9 and 10. The agency will now use geographic names instead of numerals for its regions.

OSHA has renamed the regions with the following designations:

- 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

Experienced OSHA leaders will oversee the new Birmingham region. Regional Administrator Dorinda Hughes and Deputy Regional Administrator Jack Rector will lead this effort. Hughes has been with OSHA since 1991 in various roles 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 positions.

This restructuring is intended to bring OSHA offices closer to communities needing services and strengthen the agency’s presence in the southeastern U.S. It is also expected to reduce response times to complaints, fatalities, imminent danger situations, and significant events.

Learn more about OSHA.