Federal OSHA’s maximum fines for willful and repeat violations are increasing from $156,259 per violation to $161,323 per violation beginning Jan. 16, 2024.
Maximum fines for serious and other-than serious violations will increase from $15,625 per violation to $16,131 per violation, according to OSHA.
These penalty increases apply to any fines assessed after Jan. 15, 2024 for OSHA violations that occurred after Nov. 2, 2015.
Annual change made per Inflation Adjustment Act
This is the annual change under the Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015, which requires the Department of Labor (DOL) to adjust monetary penalties no later than Jan. 15 each year. In 2024, Jan. 15 falls on a federal holiday so the new amounts are effective beginning Jan. 16.
The DOL is required to calculate this adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers. Annual adjustments are based on the percent change between the October index preceding the date of adjustment and the prior year’s October index.
For more information on the penalty increase, see the Federal Register entry on the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Annual Adjustments for 2024.
