In Hawaii, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1926.501 (Fall Protection) carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation in 2026, rising to $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. Fall Protection is enforced for private construction employers by Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH).
29 CFR 1926.501 · Hawaii
Fall Protection Requirements in Hawaii
Fall Protection in Hawaii: 2026 penalties, who enforces HAR §12-110-3, with the definition of "infeasible" at §12-110-50(b)(1), the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
HawaiiConstruction (29 CFR 1926)State Plan: Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH)
In FY2025, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) cited 29 CFR 1926.501 46 times in Hawaii construction (18.5% of its construction citations there, the standard it cited most). The paragraph cited most was 1926.501(b)(13), residential construction, with 23 citations.
46
1926.501 citations in Hawaii construction, FY2025
(b)(13)
paragraph cited most in Hawaii (23 citations)
2.7
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Hawaii, 2024 (BLS)
Hawaii 29 CFR 1926.501 Enforcement, FY2025
Verified · 2026-08-0846
citations of 29 CFR 1926.501 (FY2025)
$141,629
penalties for this standard
18.5%
of the state's 248 construction citations
In FY2025, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) cited 29 CFR 1926.501 (Fall Protection) 46 times on Hawaii construction jobsites with $141,629 in penalties for it (current amounts), about 18.5% of every construction citation the state issued that year. That makes 29 CFR 1926.501 the single most-cited construction standard in Hawaii in FY2025.
What Hawaii's own rule says
“Projects employing one (1) to ninety-nine (99) persons, at any single moment in the work day, shall have an employee assigned to make at least one inspection each workday; Projects employing one hundred (100) to one hundred ninety-nine (199) persons shall have two employees assigned, each to make at least one inspection each work day…”
Hawaii requires a daily safety inspection on every construction project, scaled to headcount, with one more designated inspector for each additional three hundred workers above 199, and written records kept. The general contractor arranges it; where there is none, the owner does or names a contractor to. Federal law has nothing equivalent: 1926.20(b)(2) asks for frequent and regular inspections by a competent person without setting a cadence or a ratio. Hawaii also defines a word the federal fall-protection scheme leans on but never defines: infeasible means it is impossible to perform the work using all available means and methods, or technologically impossible to use safety equipment or safe practices. That definition is what a fall protection plan written under 1926.501(b)(2) has to satisfy here.
HAR §12-110-3, with the definition of "infeasible" at §12-110-50(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
Falls 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 falls, slips and trips for Hawaii. Construction accounted for 4.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Hawaii, 2024
How Hawaii Enforces 29 CFR 1926.501
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 §12-110-3, with the definition of "infeasible" at §12-110-50(b)(1), which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) cited 29 CFR 1926.501 46 times in Hawaii construction in FY2025 (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Hawaii applies the federal penalty maximums.
In Hawaii, the FY2025 citations under 29 CFR 1926.501 went most often to New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (11) and Roofing Contractors (9). A single inspection can produce several per-instance citations. Recurring self-audits against HAR §12-110-3, with the definition of "infeasible" at §12-110-50(b)(1), before an officer arrives, are the most reliable defense.
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 29 CFR 1926.501 (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 Fall Protection Requirements 29 CFR 1926.501
- Provide fall protection at 6 feet above a lower level: a guardrail, safety net, or personal fall arrest system
- Protect workers at unprotected sides/edges, leading edges, hoist areas, ramps, and excavation edges (1926.501(b))
- Cover or guard every floor hole and skylight: protection from falling through above 6 ft, and from stepping in at any height
- Related duties under neighboring standards: system criteria 1926.502, training 1926.503, scaffold fall protection 1926.451(g)
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 1926.501 are on the 29 CFR 1926.501 page.
Most-Cited Fall Protection Paragraphs in Hawaii, FY2025
Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) issued 46 citations under 29 CFR 1926.501 to Hawaii construction employers in FY2025. The paragraphs cited most, with the official text. A serious violation carries up to $16,550.
- 1
1926.501(b)(13) Residential construction. 23 citations
“Each employee engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected by guardrail systems, safety net system, or personal fall …”
- 2
1926.501(b)(10) Roofing work on Low-slope roofs. 8 citations
“Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each employee engaged in roofing activities on low-slope roofs, with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet (1.8 m) …”
- 3
1926.501(b)(4)(ii) 7 citations
“Each employee on a walking/working surface shall be protected from tripping in or stepping into or through holes (including skylights) by covers.”
- 4
1926.501(b)(1) Unprotected sides and edges. 5 citations
“Each employee on a walking/working surface (horizontal and vertical surface) with an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level …”
- 5
1926.501(b)(14) Wall openings. 2 citations
“Each employee working on, at, above, or near wall openings (including those with chutes attached) where the outside bottom edge of the wall opening is 6 feet (1.8 …”
- 6
1926.501(b)(11) Steep roofs. 1 citation
“Each employee on a steep roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems …”
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
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).
- Cited most under 29 CFR 1926.501 in Hawaii, FY2025: New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (11), Roofing Contractors (9) and Framing Contractors (8), of 46 citations.
- 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. 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 Fall Protection Compliance Tools
Fall Protection FAQ for Hawaii
Which Hawaii construction trades are cited most under Fall Protection?
In FY2025, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) issued 46 citations under 29 CFR 1926.501 to Hawaii construction employers, most often to New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (11), Roofing Contractors (9) and Framing Contractors (8) (HazComFast count from Labor Department enforcement data, by the cited employer's NAICS industry). Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) inspects these employers directly and may apply requirements beyond the federal standard. For context, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) issued 248 construction citations across 91 inspections in FY2025. Companies in these trades should self-audit against HAR §12-110-3, with the definition of "infeasible" at §12-110-50(b)(1), Hawaii's own rule on this subject.
How often is Fall Protection cited on Hawaii jobsites?
In FY2025, Hawaii's state plan (Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH)) issued 248 construction citations across 91 inspections (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23). Fall Protection can be cited during any of them: programmed, complaint-driven or post-accident. Hawaii's fatality figures are shown above.
Who enforces fall protection (1926.501) on Hawaii construction sites?
HIOSH, the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), not federal OSHA. Hawaii runs a full OSHA-approved State Plan, so a state compliance officer inspects and cites 29 CFR 1926.501, 46 times in FY2025 construction.
What are Hawaii's most-cited construction standards?
Fall protection (1926.501), with 46 citations in FY2025 construction, and ladders (1926.1053), with 24 (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Both are enforced by HIOSH.
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 1926.501 in construction?
In FY2025, Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) cited 29 CFR 1926.501 (Fall Protection) 46 times on Hawaii construction jobsites, with $141,629 in penalties for that standard alone (current amounts), about 18.5% of the 248 construction citations the state issued that year. (Source: OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23; verified 2026-08-08.)
Fall Protection Guides & Resources
Compare this combination against any other state and standard with the enforcement risk lookup.
Related standards
Fall Protection in Other States
13 other state plans write a rule of their own for 29 CFR 1926.501 rather than adopting the federal text unchanged. Those are listed first. Compare all of them side by side.
Alaska29 CFR 1926.501 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(c), with 8 AAC 61.1150 for steel erectionCalifornia8 CCR §1670(a), with §1621(a) for railings and §1730 for roofingown maxKentucky803 KAR 2:412own maxMaryland29 CFR 1926.501 as adopted by COMAR 09.12.31.01, with COMAR 09.12.32.07own maxMichiganMIOSHA Construction Safety Standard Part 45, R 408.44501 to R 408.44502own maxMinnesota29 CFR 1926.501 as adopted by Minn. R. 5205.0010, subp. 6, with Minn. R. 5207.0250NevadaNRS 618.983 and NRS 618.987 (mandatory OSHA-10 and OSHA-30)New Mexico29 CFR 1926.501 as incorporated by 11.5.3.9(A) NMACown 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.
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