In Arizona, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1910.146 (Confined Spaces) carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation in 2026, rising to $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. Confined Spaces is enforced for private construction employers by Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH).
29 CFR 1910.146 · Arizona
Confined Spaces Requirements in Arizona
Confined Spaces in Arizona: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1910.146 as adopted by A.A.C. R20-5-602; construction spaces under R20-5-601, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
ArizonaGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH)
29 CFR 1910.146 does not apply to construction work; on a jobsite the rule is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213). In Arizona, Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) enforces 29 CFR 1910.146. The federal maximum for a serious violation is $16,550.
$16,550
federal maximum for a serious violation
$165,514
federal maximum for a willful or repeat violation
2.8
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Arizona, 2024 (BLS)
What Arizona's own rule says
Permit-required confined spaces are adopted federal text at the July 14, 2020 cut-off. On a jobsite the governing rule is Subpart AA of Part 1926, which arrives through R20-5-601 at the same date. Arizona applies both to public and private employers alike (the adoption rules say so in terms), so a municipal water utility entering a vault is inside the same standard as a private contractor, which is not the federal position.
29 CFR 1910.146 as adopted by A.A.C. R20-5-602; construction spaces under R20-5-601The duty itself differs from the federal text.
Harmful exposures and work deaths in Arizona, 2024
Arizona recorded 94 fatal work injuries in 2024, down from 103 in 2023. Exposure to harmful substances or environments caused 19 of them (20%). Construction accounted for 24.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Arizona, 2024
How Arizona Enforces 29 CFR 1910.146
Arizona runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Arizona'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 1910.146 as adopted by A.A.C. R20-5-602; construction spaces under R20-5-601, which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) issued no citations under 29 CFR 1910.146 in Arizona construction in FY2025. Arizona applies the federal penalty maximums.
29 CFR 1910.146 is a general-industry standard and does not govern construction work. “This section does not apply to agriculture, to construction, or to shipyard employment”. Construction confined spaces are 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213), a separate standard with its own duties. It is not universal either: 1926.1201(b) carves out work already regulated by Subpart P (excavations), Subpart S (underground construction, caissons, cofferdams, compressed air) and Subpart Y (diving). An Arizona contractor auditing against 29 CFR 1910.146 is auditing against the wrong standard. The citation an officer writes on a construction site will name the 1926 provision, not this one.
HazComFast records the state of every jobsite and shows that the Arizona State Plan governs it. Start free
Help and oversight in Arizona
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Arizona, the program is Consultation & Training, Industrial Commission of Arizona (Division of Occupational Safety & 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.
Arizona Penalty Amounts for 29 CFR 1910.146 (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) |
Arizona applies the federal OSHA maximums. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) computes proposed penalties under its own State Plan procedures.
Key Confined Spaces Requirements 29 CFR 1910.146
- Evaluate workplace for confined spaces
- Develop written permit space program
- Test atmosphere before and during entry
- Provide ventilation to control hazardous atmospheres
- Station an attendant outside each permit space
- Arrange rescue services before entry begins
- Issue entry permits for each entry
Who enforces it in Arizona: Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) 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 1910.146 are on the 29 CFR 1910.146 page.
What a Confined Spaces Violation Looks Like
Each item below breaches a specific paragraph of 29 CFR 1910.146. It is a list of requirements, not a ranking. A serious violation carries up to $16,550.
- Failing to evaluate the workplace to identify permit-required confined spaces (1910.146(c)(1)).
- Entry without atmospheric testing or with an atmosphere outside the acceptable ranges (1910.146(c)(5)/(d)).
- No written permit-space program, or no signed entry permit for the entry (1910.146(c)(4)/(e)).
- No attendant stationed outside, or the attendant entering to attempt a rescue (1910.146(i)/(k)).
- No arranged rescue and emergency services before entry (1910.146(k)).
Arizona Safety & Enforcement Profile
183
FY2025 construction citations
Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Arizona, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (22), Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (16) and Roofing Contractors (11), out of 113 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in Arizona, 2024: 9.0 per 100,000 full-time workers, 22nd highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 2.8).
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. Industry names are the Census Bureau's 2022 NAICS titles. data.dol.gov · BLS fatality rates by state, 2024
Free Confined Spaces Compliance Tools
Confined Spaces FAQ for Arizona
Which Arizona industries most often face a Confined Spaces inspection?
Confined Spaces inspections reach general-industry employers in Arizona, not the construction trades. Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) inspects these employers directly and may apply requirements beyond the federal standard. A construction employer should not audit against 29 CFR 1910.146: the standard that governs the same work on a jobsite is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213).
How often is Confined Spaces cited in Arizona?
29 CFR 1910.146 is enforced against general-industry employers in Arizona, so the construction citation totals published for Arizona (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23) do not measure it. “This section does not apply to agriculture, to construction, or to shipyard employment”. Construction confined spaces are 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213), a separate standard with its own duties. It is not universal either: 1926.1201(b) carves out work already regulated by Subpart P (excavations), Subpart S (underground construction, caissons, cofferdams, compressed air) and Subpart Y (diving). A construction employer should not audit against 29 CFR 1910.146: the standard that governs the same work on a jobsite is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213).
What makes a space a 'permit-required confined space' under 1910.146 in Arizona?
A confined space is permit-required if it has a hazardous atmosphere (or the potential for one), an engulfment hazard, an inward-converging configuration that could trap a worker, or any other recognized serious hazard. Arizona employers must test the atmosphere before and during entry, ventilate as necessary, post an attendant, and have a rescue plan, enforced by ADOSH.
Who enforces confined-space rules (1910.146) in Arizona?
ADOSH, the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, not federal OSHA. Arizona runs a full OSHA-approved State Plan, so a state compliance officer inspects and cites 1910.146 on private jobsites.
Can I get free OSHA help in Arizona without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Arizona is Consultation & Training, Industrial Commission of Arizona (Division of Occupational Safety & 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.
Confined Spaces Guides & Resources
Compare this combination against any other state and standard with the enforcement risk lookup.
Confined Spaces in Other States
13 other state plans write a rule of their own for 29 CFR 1910.146 rather than adopting the federal text unchanged. Those are listed first. Compare all of them side by side.
Alaska8 AAC 61.1050California8 CCR §5157, with §5158 for spaces outside the permit programown maxHawaii29 CFR 1910.146 as incorporated by HAR §12-60-50(a), with §12-60-7Minnesota29 CFR 1910.146 as adopted by Minn. R. 5205.0010, with Minn. R. 5207.0510NevadaNRS 618.383 and NRS 618.305 (sources for standards)New Mexico29 CFR 1910.146 as incorporated by 11.5.2.9(A) NMACown maxNorth Carolina13 NCAC 07F .0207, incorporating bloodborne pathogens into construction at 29 CFR 1926.1130South Carolina29 CFR 1910.146 as adopted by Subarticle 6; competent person for excavations revised at Subarticle 7, modification Fown max
Other OSHA Standards in Arizona
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.
Get the Binder in Order Before the Inspector Arrives. Are You Ready?
OSHA does not give advance notice of inspections (29 CFR 1903.6). Get the binder in order before the opening conference, not during it.
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