Can OSHA fine a company without employees?
Robert Miller
Updated on March 24, 2026
Answer: Although OSHA has no authority to issue citations to a self-employed construction worker (with no employees), where a general contractor has hired that individual to work at the site, the general contractor can, by contract, require that individual to abide by the practices set out in OSHA standards.
When an employer receives an OSHA violation?
When you receive an OSHA Notice, you must post it (or a copy of it) at or near the place where each violation occurred to make employees aware of the hazards to which they may be exposed. The OSHA Notice must remain posted for 3 working days or until the hazard is abated, whichever is longer.
What is the range of the fines that OSHA can impose on an employer?
OSHA’s maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $13,494 per violation to $13,653 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $134,937 per violation to $136,532 per violation.
What can OSHA fine you for?
The most serious violation category is willful violations, and it is reserved for intentional violations of OSHA rules or situations that show disregard for employee health and safety. According to Health Leaders Media, the minimum penalty for each willful violation is $9,639 and the maximum fine is $134,937.
Can I report my employer to OSHA?
You (or your representative) have the right to file a confidential safety and health complaint and request an OSHA inspection of your workplace if you believe there is a serious hazard or if you think your employer is not following OSHA standards. A signed complaint is more likely to result in an onsite inspection.
Can OSHA fines be reduced?
Other than contesting citations, you may solicit OSHA’s discretion to reduce fines for the following reasons: A good safety record. OSHA may cut fines up to 10 percent, as long as you don’t have any willful, serious, repeat or failure-to-abate citations in the previous five years.
Can OSHA come unannounced?
OSHA inspections are generally unannounced. In fact, except in four exceptional circumstances when advance notice may be given, it is a criminal offense for any person to give unauthorized advance notice of an OSHA inspection.
What was the largest OSHA penalty to date?
OSHA Fines Company That Wouldn’t Let Employees And Customers Wear Masks The $136,000 fine is the largest COVID-related penalty to date from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. By Dave Jamieson
What happens if a company violates OSHA regulations?
Companies that violate the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, willfully or not, will face expensive OSHA violation fines. Many fines are straightforward and easily calculable.
Why was my employer fined by OSHA for not wearing masks?
Murrell-Rosario said none of her employees had gotten sick yet and that the complaints prompting the investigation probably came from customers who were told not to wear masks inside. Initial OSHA fines are often reduced, and Murrell-Rosario said she plans to fight them.
What was the OSHA fine for tax preparer?
Content loading… The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a $136,000 fine against a Massachusetts tax preparer that allegedly prohibited employees from wearing masks at work amid the coronavirus pandemic.