What is a serious violation under OSHA?

“For purposes of this section, a serious violation shall be deemed to exist in a place of employment if there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a condition which exists, or from one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes which have been adopted or are in use, in such place of employment unless the employer did not, and could not with the exercise of reasonable diligence, know of the presence of the violation.”

“Adjusted civil monetary penalties. The adjusted civil penalties for penalties proposed after January 15, 2025 are as follows:

(3) Serious violation. The penalty for a serious violation under section 17(b) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 666(b), shall not exceed $16,550.”

• 29 U.S.C. 666, Civil and criminal penalties 2 paragraphs use the term.
• 29 CFR 1903.15, Proposed penalties 2 paragraphs use the term.
• 29 CFR 1903.19, Abatement verification 2 paragraphs use the term. Read the text on eCFR.

• 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.
• Willful and repeat violations The violation categories with the highest civil penalty limit, for employers who willfully or repeatedly violate the OSH Act.
• OSHA citation The written notice OSHA issues when it believes an employer has violated the OSH Act, a standard or a regulation.
• Abatement Action by an employer to comply with a cited standard or regulation or to eliminate a recognized hazard OSHA identified.
• De minimis violation A violation with no direct or immediate relationship to safety or health, for which OSHA may issue a notice instead of a citation.
• General Duty Clause Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, requiring employment free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
• Imminent danger Conditions that could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before ordinary enforcement can remove them.
• Notice of contest An employer's written notice that it will contest a citation or proposed penalty, postmarked within 15 working days.

All terms in the OSHA glossary

1. 29 U.S.C. 666, Civil and criminal penalties. 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.
3. Cairn data, October 2026 snapshot. Cairn analysis of the OSHA enforcement record.

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.