OSHA Increases Civil Penalties for 2025

OSHA increased civil penalties for violations by approximately 2.5% for 2025. 

The U.S. Department of Labor announced the changes to OSHA penalties based on inflation.

Maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations increased Jan. 15 from $16,131 to $16,550 per violation. 

The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations is now $165,514 per violation. That’s up from $161,323 in 2024.

Violations

Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act in 2015 to advance the effectiveness of civil penalties.

Under the act, agencies are required to publish catch-up rules that adjust the level of civil monetary penalties and make subsequent adjustments for inflation no later than Jan. 15 each year.

A serious violation exists when the workplace hazard could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, unless the employer did not know or could not have known of the violation.

Agencies are required to annually make adjustments for inflation to penalties.

An other than serious is one that is not likely to cause immediate injury or death to an employee but could impact employee health or safety.

A willful violation is defined as a violation in which the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety.

A repeated violation is one that occurs within three years of OSHA citing the organization for the same or similar issue.