OSHA Penalty Amounts Soar Due to Inflation; New Fines Effective Today

Safety
Published

Violations of safety rules on jobsites are now more expensive as the Labor Department late last week announced its annual cost-of-living adjustments to OSHA civil penalties for 2023. The new penalty amounts are effective Tuesday, Jan. 17.

OSHA’s maximum penalties for violations will increase from $14,502 per violation to $15,625 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $145,027 per violation to $156,259 per violation.

Visit the OSHA Penalties page and read the final rule for more information.

The safety of residential construction workers is a top priority of NAHB and should be the top priority of every builder, remodeler and contractor. The most common types of construction site injuries are fall injuries. This aligns with OSHA’s most-cited violations on jobsites.

Top OSHA violations for fiscal year 2022:

  1. Fall Protection – General Requirements: 5,260 violations
  2. Hazard Communication (Chemicals): 2,424
  3. Respiratory Protection: 2,185
  4. Ladders: 2,143
  5. Scaffolding: 2,058
  6. Lockout/Tagout: 1,977
  7. Powered Industrial Trucks: 1,749
  8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements: 1,556
  9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection: 1,401
  10. Machine Guarding: 1,370

Protect your workers and your bottom line with free safety resources from NAHB.

NAHB Builders Mutual Logo

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Advocacy
Aug 07, 2026
Key Codes Bill Clears Senate Panel

On Aug. 6, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs advanced the NAHB-supported Promoting Resilient Buildings Act, legislation that would help communities maintain local control over building code adoption while encouraging stronger preparation for and recovery from extreme events.

Advocacy
Aug 07, 2026
NAHB’s Monthly Update Features Tariff and Economic Updates

Stay informed on the issues shaping the residential construction industry by reviewing the monthly update talking points. The latest edition features messages related to tariffs and the economy.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics
Aug 07, 2026
U.S. Labor Market Softens in July

The U.S. labor market weakened in July, with nonfarm payrolls down 23,000 and downward revisions cutting another 103,000 jobs from May and June.

Economics
Aug 06, 2026
Multifamily Developer Confidence Weakens in Second Quarter

Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing weakened year-over-year in the second quarter, according to the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The MMS produces two separate indices.

Economics
Aug 06, 2026
Mortgage Rates Climb Again as Iran Conflict Re-escalates

Re-escalation of the conflict in Iran pushed mortgage rates higher in July. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.54% in July, up 5 basis points (bps) over June. Since the conflict in the Middle East began, the 30-year mortgage rate has climbed by almost 50 bps.