Community Action Agencies (CAAs) often have mandatory drug testing policies that require employees to automatically submit to drug testing if they are involved in a workplace accident or suffer a workplace injury. In a revised rule that took effect on December 1, 2016, however, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) indicated that such policies may directly conflict with OSHA recordkeeping rules. This FAQ is intended to help CAAs subject to OSHA requirements understand the revised rule and provide options for compliance with it. The information in this FAQ cites to and is based on the revised rule (29 C.F.R. § 1904.35(b)(1)(i) and (iv)); the preamble (92 Fed. Reg. 29624-29694) to the revised rule; guidance from the OSHA website titled Injury Tracking and Use of Disciplinary, Incentive or Drug Testing Programs; and on an OSHA Memorandum (October 19, 2016) setting forth OSHA’s interpretation of the revised rule.
New EEOC Technical Assistance on Anti-Discrimination in the Workplace
On March 19, 2025, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released two technical assistance documents that address the scope of protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as they relate to an employer’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)...