In Alaska, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1926.451 (Scaffolding) carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation in 2026, rising to $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. Scaffolding is enforced for private construction employers by Alaska Occupational Safety & Health.
29 CFR 1926.451 · Alaska
Scaffolding Requirements in Alaska
Scaffolding in Alaska: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1926.451 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(c), with 8 AAC 61.1145 for exposures, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
AlaskaConstruction (29 CFR 1926)State Plan: Alaska Occupational Safety & Health
In FY2025, Alaska Occupational Safety & Health cited 29 CFR 1926.451 4 times in Alaska construction (1.9% of its construction citations there, the 15th most-cited standard there). The paragraph cited most was 1926.451(a)(6) with 1 citation.
4
1926.451 citations in Alaska construction, FY2025
(a)(6)
paragraph cited most in Alaska (1 citation)
7.1
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Alaska, 2024 (BLS)
Alaska 29 CFR 1926.451 Enforcement, FY2025
Verified · 2026-08-084
citations of 29 CFR 1926.451 (FY2025)
$26,615
penalties for this standard
1.9%
of the state's 213 construction citations
In FY2025, Alaska Occupational Safety & Health cited 29 CFR 1926.451 (Scaffolding) 4 times on Alaska construction jobsites with $26,615 in penalties for it (current amounts), about 1.9% of every construction citation the state issued that year. That put it 15th on Alaska's most-cited construction list for FY2025.
What Alaska's own rule says
“Notwithstanding 29 C.F.R. 1926.55, as amended, Table Z-1-A of 8 AAC 61.1100 sets out the standards to test limits for air contaminants for construction in place of Appendix A contained in 29 C.F.R. 1926.55(a), as amended.”
Scaffolding is adopted federal text at the current version, with the ten-foot fall-protection trigger and the competent-person duties intact. Alaska's change reaches the air rather than the structure: for construction, its Table Z-1-A displaces the Appendix A limits in 1926.55, with crystalline silica fixed at 50 micrograms per cubic meter where 1926.1153 applies. Abrasive blasting, grinding or cutting from a scaffold is measured against the state table.
29 CFR 1926.451 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(c), with 8 AAC 61.1145 for exposuresThe duty itself differs from the federal text.
Read in Alaska Occupational Safety & Health's own rule text · verified 2026-08-09
Falls and work deaths in Alaska, 2024
Alaska recorded 24 fatal work injuries in 2024, down from 29 in 2023. BLS did not publish a separate 2024 count of deaths from falls, slips and trips for Alaska.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Alaska, 2024
How Alaska Enforces 29 CFR 1926.451
Alaska runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Alaska Occupational Safety & Health, which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Alaska's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is 29 CFR 1926.451 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(c), with 8 AAC 61.1145 for exposures, which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Alaska Occupational Safety & Health cited 29 CFR 1926.451 4 times in Alaska construction in FY2025 (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Alaska applies the federal penalty maximums.
In Alaska, the FY2025 citations under 29 CFR 1926.451 went most often to Residential Remodelers (4). A single inspection can produce several per-instance citations. Recurring self-audits against 29 CFR 1926.451 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(c), with 8 AAC 61.1145 for exposures, before an officer arrives, are the most reliable defense.
HazComFast records the state of every jobsite and shows that the Alaska State Plan governs it. Start free
Help and oversight in Alaska
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Alaska, the program is Consultation and Training (Alaska Occupational Safety and Health). OSHA describes it as “Primarily for smaller businesses, no-cost, confidential consultations help employers identify and address hazards and establish or improve safety and health programs.” It is separate from OSHA enforcement; the employer commits to correcting serious hazards.
Read on osha.gov and the state's official statute site, September 26, 2026.
Alaska Penalty Amounts for 29 CFR 1926.451 (2026)
Verified · 2026-10-05| Violation type | 2026 maximum | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | $16,550 | Federal max · 29 CFR 1903.15(d) |
| Willful | $165,514 | Federal max · 29 CFR 1903.15(d) |
| Repeat | $165,514 | Federal max · 29 CFR 1903.15(d) |
| Failure to abate | $16,550/day | up to $16,550 per day; total capped at 30x the daily amount (FOM Ch.6) |
Alaska applies the federal OSHA maximums. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Alaska Occupational Safety & Health computes proposed penalties under its own State Plan procedures.
Key Scaffolding Requirements 29 CFR 1926.451
- Design to support 4x intended load
- Provide guardrails on open sides above 10 feet
- Inspect before each shift by competent person
- Train workers on scaffold hazards
- Ensure proper access (ladders, stairways)
- Follow requirements specific to scaffold type
Who enforces it in Alaska: Alaska Occupational Safety & Health inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Alaska Occupational Safety & Health can add requirements beyond the federal standard above, so check its own rules as well.
The compliance checklist, the paragraphs OSHA cites nationally and what an inspector checks under 29 CFR 1926.451 are on the 29 CFR 1926.451 page.
Most-Cited Scaffolding Paragraphs in Alaska, FY2025
Alaska Occupational Safety & Health issued 4 citations under 29 CFR 1926.451 to Alaska construction employers in FY2025. The paragraphs cited most, with the official text. A serious violation carries up to $16,550.
- 1
1926.451(a)(6) 1 citation
“Scaffolds shall be designed by a qualified person and shall be constructed and loaded in accordance with that design. Non-mandatory appendix A to this subpart contains examples of …”
- 2
1926.451(b)(1)(i) 1 citation
“Each platform unit (e.g., scaffold plank, fabricated plank, fabricated deck, or fabricated platform) shall be installed so that the space between adjacent units and the space between the …”
- 3
1926.451(f)(3) 1 citation
“Scaffolds and scaffold components shall be inspected for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift, and after any occurrence which could affect a scaffold's structural …”
- 4
1926.451(g)(1) 1 citation
“Each employee on a scaffold more than 10 feet (3.1 m) above a lower level shall be protected from falling to that lower level. Paragraphs (g)(1) (i) through …”
HazComFast count from the Labor Department's OSHA enforcement data: citations issued in FY2025 to construction employers (NAICS 23), by the paragraph cited. Paragraph text: eCFR, current as of September 24, 2026. data.dol.gov
Alaska Safety & Enforcement Profile
213
FY2025 construction citations
Alaska Occupational Safety & Health
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Alaska, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (20), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (12) and Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction (7), out of 88 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Cited most under 29 CFR 1926.451 in Alaska, FY2025: Residential Remodelers (4), of 4 citations.
- Fatal injury rate in Alaska, 2024: 7.1 per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries. BLS did not publish a 2024 construction rate here.
HazComFast count from the Labor Department's OSHA enforcement data: inspections of construction employers (NAICS 23) opened from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025, federal OSHA and State Plan combined, grouped by the inspected employer's 2022 NAICS industry. HazComFast count from the Labor Department's OSHA enforcement data: citations issued in FY2025 to construction employers (NAICS 23), grouped by the cited employer's 2022 NAICS industry. Industry names are the Census Bureau's 2022 NAICS titles. data.dol.gov · BLS fatality rates by state, 2024
Free Scaffolding Compliance Tools
Scaffolding FAQ for Alaska
Which Alaska construction trades are cited most under Scaffolding?
In FY2025, Alaska Occupational Safety & Health issued 4 citations under 29 CFR 1926.451 to Alaska construction employers, most often to Residential Remodelers (4) (HazComFast count from Labor Department enforcement data, by the cited employer's NAICS industry). Alaska Occupational Safety & Health inspects these employers directly and may apply requirements beyond the federal standard. For context, Alaska Occupational Safety & Health issued 213 construction citations across 49 inspections in FY2025. Companies in these trades should self-audit against 29 CFR 1926.451 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(c), with 8 AAC 61.1145 for exposures, Alaska's own rule on this subject.
How often is Scaffolding cited on Alaska jobsites?
In FY2025, Alaska's state plan (Alaska Occupational Safety & Health) issued 213 construction citations across 49 inspections (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23). Scaffolding can be cited during any of them: programmed, complaint-driven or post-accident. Alaska's fatality figures are shown above.
Who enforces scaffolding rules (1926.451) on Alaska construction sites?
AKOSH, Alaska Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, not federal OSHA. Alaska runs a full OSHA-approved State Plan, so a state compliance officer inspects and cites 29 CFR 1926.451, 4 times in FY2025 construction.
Can I get free OSHA help in Alaska without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Alaska is Consultation and Training (Alaska Occupational Safety and Health). OSHA describes it this way: "Primarily for smaller businesses, no-cost, confidential consultations help employers identify and address hazards and establish or improve safety and health programs." Consultations are separate from OSHA enforcement, and the employer commits to correcting serious hazards.
How often does Alaska cite 29 CFR 1926.451 in construction?
In FY2025, Alaska Occupational Safety & Health cited 29 CFR 1926.451 (Scaffolding) 4 times on Alaska construction jobsites, with $26,615 in penalties for that standard alone (current amounts), about 1.9% of the 213 construction citations the state issued that year. (Source: OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23; verified 2026-08-08.)
Scaffolding Guides & Resources
Compare this combination against any other state and standard with the enforcement risk lookup.
Scaffolding in Other States
7 other state plans write a rule of their own for 29 CFR 1926.451 rather than adopting the federal text unchanged. Those are listed first. Compare all of them side by side.
California8 CCR §1637, with railings under §1621(a)own maxHawaiiHAR §12-110-50(b), with the fall restraint anchorage rule at (b)(2)Maryland29 CFR 1926.451 as adopted by COMAR 09.12.31.01, with COMAR 09.12.32.04own maxMichiganMIOSHA Construction Safety Standard Part 12, R 408.41201, with R 408.41210(2)own maxNevadaNAC 618.507, with the construction project definition at NAC 618.494Oregon29 CFR 1926.451 as adopted, plus OAR 437-003-0071, -0073 and -0074own maxUtah29 CFR 1926.451 as incorporated by R614-1-4.A.4, with R614-1-5.C.3 and C.4own maxAlabama
Other OSHA Standards in Alaska
Sources & verification
Penalty amounts and plan-type data were checked on 2026-10-05 against eCFR, OSHA.gov, and the Federal Register. This page is informational and not legal advice; consult the enforcing agency or counsel for your specific situation.
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