On July 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor implemented the Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015. The act requires that civil penalties be adjusted to match that of the U.S. inflation rate. This means OSHA penalties can and will be increased on an annual basis to keep up with the increase in inflation rates in the U.S.
New OSHA Penalties
Below are the maximum OSHA penalty amounts adjusted for inflation as of January 23, 2019.
Type of Violation |
Penalty |
Serious |
$13,260 per violation |
Failure to Abate |
$13,260 per day beyond the abatement date |
Willful or Repeated |
$132,598 per violation |
State Plan States
States that operate their own Occupational Safety and Health Plans are required to adopt maximum penalty levels that are at least as effective as that of the federal OSHA.
For More Assistance
OSHA offers a variety of options for employers looking for compliance assistance. Their on-site consultation program provides professional, high-quality, individualized assistance to small businesses at no cost. OSHA also has compliance assistance specialists in most of their 85 area offices across the nation who provide robust outreach and education programs for employers and workers.
For more information, please contact the OSHA regional or area office nearest you, or your AEU loss control manager.