OSHA Updates Small Business Penalty Policy — 20% Reduction Now Available
Under OSHA’s revised penalty policy effective July 2025, employers who have never been inspected by federal OSHA or a state plan — as well as those inspected in the prior five years with no serious, willful, or failure-to-abate violations — are now eligible for a 20% penalty reduction on any citations issued. The updated policy applies to all open investigations where penalties have not yet been issued, making it a potentially significant benefit for smaller Oregon and Washington residential contractors who can demonstrate a clean safety history — and a strong incentive for contractors who haven’t been inspected recently to get their safety documentation in order before an inspector arrives.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor / OSHA Read the full story: https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/osha-national-news-release/20250714
