In 2015, OSHA began making annual adjustments to its maximum penalties after Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act. This Act requires civil monetary penalties be adjusted for inflation by Jan. 15 of each year.
In keeping with the Act, new citation penalty amounts have been published. Effective January 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor published a final rule setting forth the following adjustments to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments:
Below are the common violations related to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). You can view all the penalties increases here.
| Violation | Old Fine | New Fine |
| Failure to correct a violation for which a citation has been issued under section 9(a) of the OSH Act within the period permitted for the correction. | $13,494 | $13,653
|
| Violation of the requirements of section 5 of the OSH Act, any standard, rule or order promulgated under section 6 of the OSH Act, or applicable regulations | $13,494 | $13,653
|
| Violation of any of the posting requirements, as prescribed under provisions of the OSH Act. | $13,494 | $13,653
|
| Serious violation of the requirements of section 5 of the OSH Act, of any standard, rule, or order promulgated under section 6 of the OSH Act, or applicable regulations. | $13,494 | $13,653
|
| Willfull or repeated violation of the requirements of section 5 of the OSH Act, any standards, rules or orders promulgated under section 6 of the OSH Act, or applicable regulations. | $134,937 | $136,532
|
OSHA Inspections – What You Need to Know
With the increase in penalties, there may also be an increase in OSHA inspections.
OSHA provides valuable information on why an inspection happens, what to do to prepare, the stages of the inspection, fines, and penalties, and your rights. See the steps you need to take here to be prepared.
We’re here to help
We offer the following services to help prevent and manage OSHA compliance issue:
OSHA CONSULTING BUNDLE – Written directive/policy on requirements which can be either a corporate policy or a site-specific policy.
OSHA TRAINING – We offer Open Enrollment Classes, Online Courses, and Private Company Sponsored Classes made available at your convenience.
Please contact us today to learn about steps you can take to protect yourself and your employees.