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):

1. Fall Protection - General Requirements (1926.501): 6,307 violations
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 2,888
3. Ladders (1926.1053): 2,573
4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,470
5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,443
6. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,248
7. Fall Protection - Training Requirements (1926.503): 2,050
8. Scaffolding (1926.451): 1,873
9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment - Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,814
10. 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.