Search

OSHA Penalties for Safety Violations Rise for 2020

Posted on 1/17/2020 by Roger Marks

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced increased civil penalties for violations of 29 CFR work safety programs.

Increased OSHA Penalty Amounts 

OSHA assigns different penalty amounts to violations of different kinds. Below are the adjusted civil penalties for violations occurring after November 2, 2015 for which OSHA assesses penalties after January 15, 2020. 
 
Type of OSHA violation Min. Penalty Max Penalty 29 CFR 1903.15...
Willful violation $9,639 $134,937 (d)(1)
Repeat violation NA $134,937 (d)(2)
Serious violation  NA   $13,494 (d)(3)
Other than serious violation NA  $13,494 (d)(4)
Failure to abate  NA  $13,494 (d)(5)
OSHA posting requirement NA  $13,494 (d)(6)

See the announcement in the January 15 Federal Register.

Since the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, OSHA has been authorized to raise civil penalties for work safety violations annually to match inflation. Before the 2015 Act, OSHA was exempted from the requirement to raise penalties on an annual basis.

10 Most Common OSHA Citations

OSHA recently released its annual list of the top 10 most-cited safety Standards in fiscal year 2019.  
 
The list of the most commonly cited violations does not change much from year to year, but remains an informative tool that safety professionals can use to identify hazards at their own facilities. The OSHA Top 10 list doesn’t cover every important workplace hazard, but it does provide an overview of the most common and costly violations for American employers.
 
Top OSHA safety violation citations
 

New OSHA Safety Courses

Check out Lion.com/OSHA to find safety training to inform and protect your workforce.

From 10-hour training for general industry workers to HazComHAZWOPER, and more, Lion offers courses that are informative and easy-to-use. 

The latest new courses include:

Tags: OSHA fines, OSHA penalties, safety fines, top 10 OSHA violations, top 10 safety violations

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Lion courses always set the bar for content, reference, and practical application. Membership and access to the experts is an added bonus.

John Brown, CSP

Director of Safety & Env Affairs

The instructor was great, explaining complex topics in terms that were easily understandable and answering questions clearly and thoroughly.

Brittany Holm

Lab Supervisor

Much better than my previous class with another company. The Lion instructor made sense, kept me awake and made me laugh!

Marti Severs

Enterprise Safety Manager

Convenient; I can train when I want, where I want.

Barry Cook

Hazmat Shipping Professional

The exercises in the DOT hazardous materials management course are especially helpful in evaluating your understanding of course information.

Morgan Bliss

Principal Industrial Hygienist

The instructor did an excellent job presenting a very dry subject; keeping everyone interested and making it enjoyable.

Marc Bugg

Hazardous Waste Professional

This was the 1st instructor that has made the topic actually enjoyable and easy to follow and understand. Far better than the "other" training providers our company has attended!

Lori Hardy

Process & Resource Administrator

The instructor made the class enjoyable. He presented in a very knowledgeable, personable manner. Best class I've ever attended. Will take one again.

John Nekoloff

Environmental Compliance Manager

Lion does a great job summarizing and communicating complicated EH&S-related regulations.

Michele Irmen

Sr. Environmental Engineer

More thorough than a class I attended last year through another company.

Troy Yonkers

HSES Representative

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Just starting out with shipping lithium batteries? The four fundamental concepts in this guide are the place to start.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.