New Higher Fines for OSHA Violations in Effect for 2024

Safety
Published

Violations of safety rules on jobsites are now more expensive as the Labor Department announced its annual cost-of-living adjustments to OSHA civil penalties for 2024. The new penalty amounts went into effect Monday, Jan. 15.

OSHA’s maximum penalties for violations will increase from $15,625 per violation to $16,131 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $156,259 per violation to $161,323 per violation.

The increases represent an annual increase of around 3.2% from 2023 to 2024, a far cry from the 7.7% increase OSHA announced in penalty increases from 2022 to 2023. The penalty increases are tied to the annual cost-of-living increases across the federal government and to inflation.

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 2023:

  1. Fall Protection – General Requirements: 7,271 violations
  2. Hazard Communication (Chemicals): 3,213
  3. Ladders: 2,978
  4. Scaffolding: 2,859
  5. Powered Industrial Trucks: 2,561
  6. Lockout/Tagout: 2,554
  7. Respiratory Protection: 2,481
  8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements: 2,112
  9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection: 2,074
  10. Machine Guarding: 1,644

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

Subscribe to NAHBNow

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

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Student Chapters | Workforce Development

Jul 25, 2025

NAHB's Student Chapters Helped Give Her Confidence to Pivot Careers

Zhetique Gunn's early exposure to building and problem-solving has led to national recognition and a city-level impact as an urban planner in Washington, D.C.

Jul 24, 2025

Federal Court Upholds New York State Gas Ban

The federal court for the Northern District of New York on July 23 upheld New York state’s “gas ban” legislation. New York’s legislation is the first statewide law that restricts natural gas use in new buildings, effectively banning gas stoves and other fossil fuel appliances in most new construction starting in 2026.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jul 25, 2025

Market Share of 5,000+ Square Foot New Homes Started Declines in 2024

In 2024, there were 24,000 homes that exceeded 5,000 square feet, equating to a 2.3% market share of all new homes started. Both the number and market share for 5,000+ square foot homes experienced declines from 2023, according to the annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).

Economics

Jul 24, 2025

New Home Sales Hold Steady at a Relatively Tepid Level

Challenging affordability conditions, elevated interest rates and economic uncertainty continue to act as headwinds on the housing sector as many potential buyers continue to stay on the sidelines.

Economics

Jul 23, 2025

Existing Home Sales Retreat to 9-Month Low

Existing home sales fell to 9-month low in June as home prices hit another monthly record high, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Sluggish pace of sales suggest that higher mortgage rates and elevated home prices are continuing to sideline buyers, despite improved inventory conditions.