In Hawaii, a serious PPE General Requirements violation carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation in 2026, rising to $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. PPE General Requirements is enforced for private construction employers by Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH), under HAR §12-60-2(b)(1) and §12-110-2(b)(1) rather than 29 CFR 1910.132.
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29 CFR 1910.132 · Hawaii
PPE General Requirements Requirements in Hawaii
PPE General Requirements in Hawaii: 2026 penalties, who enforces HAR §12-60-2(b)(1) and §12-110-2(b)(1), the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
On construction work, 29 CFR 1926.95 and 1926.28(a) (Part 1926 Subpart E) govern instead of 29 CFR 1910.132. In Hawaii, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) enforces the state's own rule on this subject, HAR §12-60-2(b)(1) and §12-110-2(b)(1). 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
2.7
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Hawaii, 2024 (BLS)
What Hawaii's own rule says
“The employer shall institute and maintain an effective safety and health program to identify, evaluate, and control workplace hazards.”
Hawaii puts a written safety and health program at the front of both its general industry and its construction chapters: employers with fewer than ten employees are excused from the written requirement in general industry, and the program must set out policies that recognize and protect against hazards, state a clear goal and the mechanisms for meeting it, and provide for visible top management leadership. Above that sits a hierarchy the PPE standard only implies: eliminate by design or substitution first, reduce by engineering or administrative controls, isolation or guarding next, and provide personal protective equipment when those are inadequate. In Hawaii that order is a rule, not guidance.
HAR §12-60-2(b)(1) and §12-110-2(b)(1)The duty itself differs from the federal text.
Read in Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH)'s own rule text · verified 2026-08-09
Contact incidents and work deaths in Hawaii, 2024
Hawaii recorded 16 fatal work injuries in 2024, the same as in 2023. BLS did not publish a separate 2024 count of deaths from contact incidents for Hawaii. Construction accounted for 4.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Hawaii, 2024
How Hawaii Enforces PPE General Requirements
Hawaii runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Hawaii's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is HAR §12-60-2(b)(1) and §12-110-2(b)(1), which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) issued no citations under 29 CFR 1910.132 in Hawaii construction in FY2025. Hawaii applies the federal penalty maximums.
29 CFR 1910.132 is a general-industry standard and does not govern construction work: a particular Part 1926 standard covers the same ground and prevails over it. 1910.12(a) applies Part 1926 to every employee engaged in construction work, and 1910.5(c)(1) makes a specific standard prevail over a general one. Construction PPE is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart E, principally 1926.95, whose paragraph (a) is word-for-word identical to 1910.132(a), together with the duty clause at 1926.28(a). For construction work, the provisions to cite are 1926.95 and 1926.28(a), not 1910.132. A Hawaii contractor auditing against 29 CFR 1910.132 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 Hawaii State Plan governs it. Start free
Help and oversight in Hawaii
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Hawaii, the program is Consultation & Training Branch (Department of Labor & Industrial Relations). 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.
Hawaii Penalty Amounts for PPE General Requirements (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) |
Hawaii applies the federal OSHA maximums. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) computes proposed penalties under its own State Plan procedures.
Key PPE General Requirements Requirements Under the Federal Standard 29 CFR 1910.132
- Conduct hazard assessment for PPE
- Select appropriate PPE for identified hazards
- Train employees on proper PPE use and care
- Provide PPE at no cost to employees
- Document hazard assessment in writing
- Maintain PPE in sanitary and reliable condition
Who enforces it in Hawaii: Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) 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 1910.132 are on the 29 CFR 1910.132 page.
What a PPE General Requirements Violation Looks Like
Each item below breaches a specific paragraph of 29 CFR 1910.132. It is a list of requirements, not a ranking. A serious violation carries up to $16,550.
- No workplace hazard assessment, or no written certification of it (1910.132(d)).
- PPE not provided where the hazard assessment shows it is needed (1910.132(d)(1)).
- Employees not trained on PPE use, limitations, and care (1910.132(f)).
- Requiring employees to pay for required PPE (1910.132(h)).
- PPE that does not fit or is not maintained in a sanitary, reliable condition (1910.132(a)/(e)).
Hawaii Safety & Enforcement Profile
248
FY2025 construction citations
Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Hawaii, FY2025: New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (19), Framing Contractors (13) and Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (12), out of 123 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Fatal injury rate in Hawaii, 2024: 2.7 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. Industry names are the Census Bureau's 2022 NAICS titles. data.dol.gov · BLS fatality rates by state, 2024
Free PPE General Requirements Compliance Tools
PPE General Requirements FAQ for Hawaii
Which Hawaii industries most often face a PPE General Requirements inspection?
PPE General Requirements inspections reach general-industry employers in Hawaii, not the construction trades. Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) inspects these employers directly and may apply requirements beyond the federal standard. A construction employer should not audit against 29 CFR 1910.132: the standard that governs the same work on a jobsite is 29 CFR 1926.95 and 1926.28(a) (Part 1926 Subpart E).
How often is PPE General Requirements cited in Hawaii?
29 CFR 1910.132 is enforced against general-industry employers in Hawaii, so the construction citation totals published for Hawaii (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23) do not measure it. 1910.12(a) applies Part 1926 to every employee engaged in construction work, and 1910.5(c)(1) makes a specific standard prevail over a general one. Construction PPE is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart E, principally 1926.95, whose paragraph (a) is word-for-word identical to 1910.132(a), together with the duty clause at 1926.28(a). For construction work, the provisions to cite are 1926.95 and 1926.28(a), not 1910.132. A construction employer should not audit against 29 CFR 1910.132: the standard that governs the same work on a jobsite is 29 CFR 1926.95 and 1926.28(a) (Part 1926 Subpart E).
Does HIOSH require a written PPE hazard assessment?
Yes. 29 CFR 1910.132(d) requires the employer to assess the workplace for hazards that call for PPE and to verify that assessment in writing. In Hawaii, HIOSH, the state's own program, can cite a failure to perform or document the assessment, separately from any citation for missing equipment.
Who pays for required PPE in Hawaii?
The employer. Under the employer-payment rule, required PPE must be provided at no cost to the worker with narrow exceptions such as non-specialty safety-toe footwear and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear that the employer lets employees wear off the job site. HIOSH enforces this.
Can I get free OSHA help in Hawaii without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Hawaii is Consultation & Training Branch (Department of Labor & Industrial Relations). 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.
PPE General Requirements Guides & Resources
Compare this combination against any other state and standard with the enforcement risk lookup.
Related standards
PPE General Requirements in Other States
16 other state plans write a rule of their own for 29 CFR 1910.132 rather than adopting the federal text unchanged. Those are listed first. Compare all of them side by side.
Other OSHA Standards in Hawaii
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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