What is abatement under OSHA?
Abatement is action by an employer to comply with a cited standard or regulation or to eliminate a recognized hazard OSHA identified during an inspection. Each citation fixes a reasonable time for abatement.
By Cairn. Updated . Sources: eCFR text as of October 27, 2026.
The legal definitions
“Abatement means action by an employer to comply with a cited standard or regulation or to eliminate a recognized hazard identified by OSHA during an inspection.”
“Abatement date means:
(i) For an uncontested citation item, the later of:
(A) The date in the citation for abatement of the violation;
(B) The date approved by OSHA or established in litigation as a result of a petition for modification of the abatement date (PMA); or
(C) The date established in a citation by an informal settlement agreement.
(ii) For a contested citation item for which the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) has issued a final order affirming the violation, the later of:
(A) The date identified in the final order for abatement; or
(B) The date computed by adding the period allowed in the citation for abatement to the final order date;
(C) The date established by a formal settlement agreement.”
Where it applies
- 29 CFR 1903.19, Abatement verification 34 paragraphs use the term. Read the text on eCFR.
- 29 CFR 1903.14 3 paragraphs use the term.
- 29 U.S.C. 658, Citations One paragraph uses the term.
Sources
- 29 CFR 1903.19, Abatement verification. eCFR, text as of October 27, 2026.
Written by Cairn, updated . The quoted text is copied from the sources above. A test compares each quotation with a stored copy of the source, and a separate script compares that copy with the live sources. This page explains the law and is not legal advice.