Feds Increase OSHA Civil Penalties for 2021

The U.S. Department of Labor has increased monetary OSHA penalties for worksite violations for 2021.

The increase isn't massive. OSHA’s maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $13,494 to $13,653.. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $134,937 to $136,532.

The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act, passed in 1990, was amended by the CPIAA Improvements Act in 2015. The law is meant to maintain the effectiveness of penalties based on the economic landscape.

The Act requires agencies to publish “catch-up” rules that adjust the level of penalties and adjustments for inflation by January.