August 11, 2025 • News

Updated OSHA Penalty Guidelines

On July 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) updated its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalty and debt collection procedures, reducing penalties for small businesses, as well as employers with no violations within the prior 5 years, as follows:

• Employers with no more than 25 employees are eligible for up to a 70% penalty reduction for safety violations; previously, the employee threshold was no more than 10 employees
• Employers that take proactive steps to correct violations may be eligible for a Quick-Fix penalty reduction of 15% if they take action within 5 or up to 15 days following inspection depending on the complexity of the abatement actions; previously, the Quick-Fix reduction was available only for on-the-spot or day-of-inspection corrections. 
• Employers that have never been inspected by OSHA or that have had no violations, or only other-than-serious violations, in the previous 5 years, are eligible for a 20% reduction 

Reductions are not automatic; see the guidelines in the Penalties and Debt Collection section of the OSHA Field Manual.

For more information, see the OSHA press release.