In Hawaii, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1910.178 (Forklifts) carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation in 2026, rising to $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. Forklifts is enforced for private construction employers by Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH).
29 CFR 1910.178 · Hawaii
Forklifts Requirements in Hawaii
Forklifts in Hawaii: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1910.178 as incorporated by HAR §12-60-50(a), with §12-60-5, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
HawaiiGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH)
In Hawaii, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) enforces 29 CFR 1910.178. 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)
Hawaii 29 CFR 1910.178 Enforcement, FY2025
Verified · 2026-08-0810
citations of 29 CFR 1910.178 (FY2025)
$7,529
penalties for this standard
4%
of the state's 248 construction citations
In FY2025, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.178 (Forklifts) 10 times on Hawaii construction jobsites with $7,529 in penalties for it (current amounts), about 4% of every construction citation the state issued that year. That put it seventh on Hawaii's most-cited construction list for FY2025.
What Hawaii's own rule says
“The use of intoxicants or harmful drugs while on duty is prohibited. No person shall be permitted to work under the influence of liquor or drugs and shall be removed from the work premises if found under the influence of liquor or drugs.”
The forklift standard is incorporated federal text at the July 1, 2017 edition: training, the three-year evaluation and the truck-type restrictions unchanged. Hawaii adds a rule federal law leaves to employer policy: intoxicants and harmful drugs are prohibited on duty, and anyone found under the influence must be removed from the premises, not merely reassigned. For an employer whose operators are certified under 1910.178(l), that is a state duty attached to the same person and the same shift.
29 CFR 1910.178 as incorporated by HAR §12-60-50(a), with §12-60-5The 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 29 CFR 1910.178
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 29 CFR 1910.178 as incorporated by HAR §12-60-50(a), with §12-60-5, which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.178 10 times in Hawaii construction in FY2025 (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Hawaii applies the federal penalty maximums.
29 CFR 1910.178 is a general-industry standard. Whether this general-industry standard reaches construction work has not been verified for this page. Check the standard's own scope paragraph and the corresponding 29 CFR 1926 subpart before relying on it for construction.
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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 29 CFR 1910.178 (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 Forklifts Requirements 29 CFR 1910.178
- Train and evaluate all forklift operators
- Conduct operator evaluations every 3 years
- Inspect forklifts before each shift
- Maintain forklifts per manufacturer specifications
- Follow safe operating practices (speed, loads, pedestrians)
- Designate approved truck types for hazardous locations
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 1910.178 are on the 29 CFR 1910.178 page.
What a Forklifts Violation Looks Like
Each item below breaches a specific paragraph of 29 CFR 1910.178. It is a list of requirements, not a ranking. A serious violation carries up to $16,550.
- Operators not trained, evaluated, or certified before operating (1910.178(l)(1)).
- No re-evaluation of operator performance within the last 3 years (1910.178(l)(4)(iii)).
- No pre-shift examination of the truck, or unsafe trucks left in service (1910.178(p)(1)/(q)).
- Unsafe operating practices (speeding, riders, raised-load travel, blocked visibility) (1910.178(m)/(n)).
- Failure to provide refresher training after an accident or observed unsafe operation (1910.178(l)(4)).
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 Forklifts Compliance Tools
Forklifts FAQ for Hawaii
Which Hawaii industries most often face a Forklifts inspection?
Forklifts inspections reach employers in Hawaii covered by this standard, not the construction trades. Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) inspects these employers directly and may apply requirements beyond the federal standard.
How often is Forklifts cited in Hawaii?
29 CFR 1910.178 is enforced against employers in Hawaii covered by this standard, so the construction citation totals published for Hawaii (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23) do not measure it. Whether this general-industry standard reaches construction work has not been verified for this page. Check the standard's own scope paragraph and the corresponding 29 CFR 1926 subpart before relying on it for construction.
Does HIOSH require forklift operator training in Hawaii?
Yes. 29 CFR 1910.178(l) requires every powered-industrial-truck operator to be trained, evaluated on the specific truck and workplace, and re-evaluated at least every three years. In Hawaii, HIOSH, the state's own program, cites untrained operators directly, and cited 1910.178 10 times in FY2025 construction.
How often does HIOSH cite forklift rules?
HIOSH cited 1910.178 10 times in FY2025 construction inspections.
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.
How often does Hawaii cite 29 CFR 1910.178 in construction?
In FY2025, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.178 (Forklifts) 10 times on Hawaii construction jobsites, with $7,529 in penalties for that standard alone (current amounts), about 4% of the 248 construction citations the state issued that year. (Source: OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23; verified 2026-08-08.)
Forklifts Guides & Resources
Compare this combination against any other state and standard with the enforcement risk lookup.
Forklifts in Other States
14 other state plans write a rule of their own for 29 CFR 1910.178 rather than adopting the federal text unchanged. Those are listed first. Compare all of them side by side.
Alaska29 CFR 1910.178 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(b), with the air contaminant table at 8 AAC 61.1100California8 CCR §3650 (operation) and §3668 (operator training)own maxKentucky803 KAR 2:313 (Subpart N), with 803 KAR 2:325 for battery workown maxMichiganMIOSHA General Industry Part 21, R 408.12101 to R 408.12193 (permit at R 408.12154)own maxMinnesotaMinn. R. 5207.0900, with Minn. R. 5207.1100 for platformsNevadaNAC 618.342 to 618.410 (cranes), with NAC 618.394 for tower crane plansNorth Carolina29 CFR 1910.178 as incorporated by 13 NCAC 07F .0101Oregon29 CFR 1910.178 as adopted, except (e)(1), where OAR 437-002-0227(1)(a)-(c) appliesown max
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.
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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