Cost-of-living hikes for OSH Act violations to take effect

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Department’s cost-of-living adjustments increasing the cost for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act will go into effect Friday.

Maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase to $13,653 from $13,494, and maximum penalties for willful or repeated violations will increase to $136,532 from $134,937.

OSHA began making annual adjustments to its maximum penalties beginning in 2015 when Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act requiring that civil monetary penalties be adjusted for inflation by Jan. 15 of each year.