Top OSHA Violations of 2024 and Higher Penalties for 2025
Beginning Jan. 15, OSHA’s maximum penalties for violations will increase from $16,131 per violation to $16,550 for each serious and other-than-serious violation, as well as each day an employer fails to abate a previously cited violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will also increase from $161,323 per violation to $165,514 per violation.
This represents an annual increase of around 2.6% from 2024 to 2025, a slight decrease from the 3.2% increase OSHA announced in penalty increases from 2023 to 2024. 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 most common types of construction site injuries result from falls. This aligns with OSHA’s most-cited violations on jobsites.
Top OSHA violations for fiscal year 2024 (with standard cited):
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 6,307 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 2,888
- Ladders (1926.1053): 2,573
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,470
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,443
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,248
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 2,050
- Scaffolding (1926.451): 1,873
- Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,814
- Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,541
The safety of residential construction workers is a top priority of NAHB and should be the top priority of every builder, remodeler and contractor. NAHB members and non-members can use a variety of free safety resources from NAHB, including our Jobsite Safety mobile app, Video Toolbox Talks series and more, to help keep their workers safe.
Latest from NAHBNow
Safety
Apr 20, 2026
Electrical Safety is Important to Everyone on a Home Building SiteElectrical safety on jobsites can often be overlooked by many workers whose primary jobs do not include electrical work. But all workers and visitors on a home building jobsite can be exposed to electric risk if proper safety procedures are not followed.
Business Management
Apr 20, 2026
More Young Adults Interested in the Construction Trades, but Challenges PersistA new study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reveals that more young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are interested in the construction trades but more work needs to be done to educate the public that there are increasing opportunities for rewarding, lucrative careers in the skilled trades.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Apr 21, 2026
Population Growth and Housing Supply Dynamics at the County Level in 2025U.S. population growth slowed notably in the latest Vintage 2025 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, with the nation expanding by just 0.5% in 2025, roughly half the pace of the prior year. The deceleration was primarily driven by a sharp decline in net international migration (NIM), which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million, while natural change remained relatively stable.
Economics
Apr 20, 2026
Construction Workforce Shifts: Fewer Tradesmen, More White-Collar JobsThe long-running shift in the construction labor force away from construction trades and toward management, business, and technical roles is ongoing and gaining momentum, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest 2024 data from the American Community Survey (ACS).
Economics
Apr 17, 2026
Count of Second Homes Declines in 2024In 2024, the number of second homes in the U.S. was 6.2 million, accounting for 4.3% of the nation’s housing stock, according to NAHB estimates. This reflects a modest decline from 2022, when the number reached 6.5 million. This decline suggests some cooling following the pandemic-era surge in second home demand.