What is a de minimis violation under OSHA?

“The Secretary may prescribe procedures for the issuance of a notice in lieu of a citation with respect to de minimis violations which have no direct or immediate relationship to safety or health.”

“Penalties shall not be proposed for de minimis violations which have no direct or immediate relationship to safety or health.”

• 29 U.S.C. 658, Citations One paragraph uses the term.
• 29 CFR 1903.14 2 paragraphs use the term.
• 29 CFR 1903.15, Proposed penalties One paragraph uses the term.

• Other-than-serious violation A violation of the OSH Act, a standard or a regulation that is specifically determined not to be of a serious nature.
• OSHA citation The written notice OSHA issues when it believes an employer has violated the OSH Act, a standard or a regulation.
• Serious violation A violation with a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, unless the employer could not have known of it.

All terms in the OSHA glossary

1. 29 U.S.C. 658, Citations. U.S. Code, 2024 edition, current through January 6, 2025, from govinfo.gov.
2. 29 CFR 1903.15, Proposed penalties. eCFR, text as of October 27, 2026.

Written by Cairn, updated October 29, 2026. 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.