US DOL: Updates Penalty and Debt Collection Procedures

OSHA’s Field Operations Manual

As a small business we understand small changes can have big effects. That’s why we wanted to bring the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) News Release which updates its Penalties and Debt collection Field Operations Manual to your attention. Previously, only business with 10 or fewer employees were eligible for a 70% penalty reduction who were acting in good faith to comply with federal laws. OSHA has now expanded that to businesses who employ up to 25 employees. This update also makes changes to:

• New guidelines for 15% penalty reduction for employers who immediately take steps to address or correct a hazard.
• Expands the penalty reduction for employers without a history of serious, willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate OSHA violations.

Per OSHA’s news release these changes are effective as of July 14, 2025, and should be applied to violations after the effective date. All violations prior to the July 14, 2025, date will fall under the previous penalty structure. As, for open investigation who have not yet been issued a citation, those would fall under the new guidelines. To see OSHA’s news release you can click HERE NOW to see it in its entirety.

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