DOL announces annual adjustments to OSHA civil penalties

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday announced adjustments to Occupational Safety and Health Administration civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2022, increasing maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations from $13,653 per violation to $14,502 per violation.

In addition, the maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $136,532 per violation to $145,027 per violation.

The changes are in line with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, which requires agencies are required to adjust the level of civil monetary penalties and make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation no later than January 15 of each year.