Changes to Occupational Safety and Health Administration civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2023 went into effect today.
OSHA’s maximum penalties for “serious and other-than-serious violations” will increase from $14,502 to $15,625 per violation. The maximum penalty for “willful or repeated violations” will increase from $145,027 to $156,259 per violation.
States that operate their own Occupational Safety and Health plans are required to adopt maximum penalty levels that are at least as effective as federal OSHA ones. Currently, 22 state plans cover both private-sector and state and local government workers, and seven state plans cover only state and local government workers.
Under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act passed by Congress in 2015, agencies are required to publish “catch-up” rules that adjust the level of civil monetary penalties and make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation no later than Jan. 15 of each year. Ordinarily, the increase goes into effect on Jan. 15 each year. Because Jan. 15 fell on a Sunday and Jan. 16 was a federal holiday this year, however, the new OSHA penalty amounts became effective Jan. 17.
See OSHA’s penalties page for additional information.
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