OSHA Increases 2020 Citation Penalty Amounts
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has increased the maximum allowable penalty amounts for OSHA violations in federally-mandated states.
The new numbers, effective January 15, 2020, are based on the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, signed in November 2015 by former president Barack Obama. A memorandum explaining the increases was posted through Loren Sweatt, the DOL’s principal deputy assistant secretary for occupational safety and health.
The 2020 numbers are a result of a cost-of-living adjustment multiplier based on the Consumer Price Index, calculated at 1.101764 as of October 2019. The most recent penalty amount for each level of violation was multiplied by this number and rounded to the nearest dollar. Subsequent increases are required by January 15 of each year.
More information can be found at OSHA’s website.