OSHA Penalties by State
OSHA Penalties in Indiana (2026)
Indiana runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA), covering private-sector employers. In 2026, a serious violation carries up to $7,000 and a willful or repeat violation up to $70,000 under the state's own maximums.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
Indiana is an OSHA-approved State Plan covering both private and public employers. Private-sector construction employers in this state answer to the state plan, not federal OSHA. Its standards must be at least as effective as federal OSHA, and some state plans set higher penalty maximums. A serious violation carries up to $7,000 and a willful or repeat violation up to $70,000 per violation in 2026.
29 CFR 1903.15state statute2026 amounts unchanged from 2025, with no inflation increase.
Is Indiana federal OSHA or a state plan?
Indiana runs a full OSHA-approved state plan covering private and public employers, administered by Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA).
Private-sector construction employers in this state answer to the state plan, not federal OSHA. Its standards must be at least as effective as federal OSHA, and some state plans set higher penalty maximums.
29 CFR 190229 approved state plans
Compare all 29 plans, their agencies and their penalty caps on the OSHA State Plans hub. How the Indiana plan works, its own standards and its HazCom rule: Indiana State Plan guide.
Whose HazCom rule applies in Indiana?
Indiana takes the federal hazard communication text. It is one of 12 full State Plans that do, out of 22.
Indiana adopts each federal notice by its own numbered bulletin with a separate Indiana effective date: HazCom 2024 took effect here on November 16, 2024 and its corrections on April 9, 2025, roughly four to six months behind the federal dates.
Rule: IOSSC Adoption by Reference Bulletins #24-01 and #24-02 (IC 22-8-1.1-16.2)
Indiana adopts federal standards notice by notice, each bulletin carrying its own Indiana effective date. Under IC 22-8-1.1-16.2 a federal standard may be enforced by IDOL "not earlier than sixty (60) days after the final standard by federal OSHA becomes effective". Bulletin #24-01 adopts the HazCom rule "published originally in the Federal Register, May 20, 2024, Volume 89, pages 44144 through 44461": federal effective July 19, 2024, Indiana effective November 16, 2024. Bulletin #24-02 adopts the October 9, 2024 corrections (Volume 89, pages 81829 through 81836): Indiana effective April 9, 2025. Each further federal amendment needs its own bulletin.
Adoption verified 2026-08-07 against OSHA’s state-plan record. HCS 2024 deadlines by state plan.
Chemical inventory reporting (EPCRA Tier II) in Indiana
Tier II is filed in Hazconnect, after signing up for an account (one account per facility).
Indiana Tier II: filing system, deadline and fees, in the state's own words
Indiana Penalty Rates (2026)
Per-violation civil penalties. Indiana sets its own maximums (see note below). IC 22-8-1.1-27.1State-set figures, effective IC 22-8-1.1-27.1 as published by the Indiana Department of Labor (read 2026-09-15).
Serious Violation
$7,000
per violation (max)
Willful / Repeat
$70,000
per violation (max)
Failure to Abate
$7,000
per day
Indiana sets its own penalty maximums. Indiana (IC 22-8-1.1-27.1) sets its own maximums below the federal amounts: serious up to $7,000; a knowing (Indiana's term for willful) or repeat violation up to $70,000, rising to $132,598 only when a knowing violation contributed to a worker's death.
| Violation type | Minimum | Maximum | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious | State schedule | $7,000 | IC 22-8-1.1-27.1 |
| Other-Than-Serious | $0 | $7,000 | IC 22-8-1.1-27.1 |
| Willful | $5,000 | $70,000 | IC 22-8-1.1-27.1 |
| Repeated | State schedule | $70,000 | IC 22-8-1.1-27.1 |
| Failure to Abate | None | $7,000 / day | IC 22-8-1.1-27.1 |
Indiana sets these maximums by state law; reductions for size, good faith and history follow the state agency’s own penalty policy, not the federal manual.
Indiana Construction Enforcement (FY2025)
OSHA · FY2025Construction (NAICS 23) enforcement by Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) for October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025.
411
Construction citations
205
Inspections with citations
$465,205
Penalties (current amounts)
Source: OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23 (Indiana, FY2025).
Work fatality rates in Indiana, 2024
4.3
fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries
7.6
per 100,000 full-time workers in construction, 31st highest of the 40 states BLS published
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: fatal injury rates by state of incident and industry, all ownerships, 2024 . BLS computes state rates with CPS and LAUS data; they rank states against each other and are not compared here with the national hours-based rate.
Help and oversight in Indiana
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Indiana, the program is INSafe (Indiana Department of Labor). 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.
Indiana OSHA Profile
- •Who enforces private construction: Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) (State Plan).
- •Maximum penalties: $7,000 serious / $70,000 willful-repeat (state-set), $7,000/dayfailure-to-abate.
- •To contest: Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) runs its own contest and review process under state law; the deadline is on the citation.
- •FY2025 enforcement: 411 construction citations across 205 inspections ($465,205 in penalties).
Frequently-Cited OSHA Standards & Indiana Guides
Frequently-cited OSHA construction standards, each with a guide specific to Indiana (penalties, common violations, checklist).Where shown, citation counts are federal OSHA construction totals, national, FY2025. Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) enforces its own equivalent requirements in Indiana.
- Fall Protection29 CFR 1926.5016,772 citations · $44,891,816 · federal national FY2025
- HazCom / GHS29 CFR 1910.1200698 citations · $984,054 · federal national FY2025
- Ladders (Construction)29 CFR 1926.10532,758 citations · $9,582,763 · federal national FY2025
- Scaffolding29 CFR 1926.4512,152 citations · $7,646,921 · federal national FY2025
- Respiratory Protection29 CFR 1910.134
- Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)29 CFR 1910.147
- Forklifts29 CFR 1910.178
- Stairways (Construction)29 CFR 1926.1052
- PPE General Requirements29 CFR 1910.132
- Confined Spaces29 CFR 1910.146
Construction trades inspected most in Indiana
Inspections of construction employers opened in Indiana from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025, by the inspected employer's industry: 503 in all, federal OSHA and State Plan combined.
| Industry (2022 NAICS) | Inspections | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 238160 Roofing Contractors | 75 | 14.9% |
| 236220 Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | 69 | 13.7% |
| 238220 Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 47 | 9.3% |
| 238210 Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors | 40 | 8% |
| 238310 Drywall and Insulation Contractors | 29 | 5.8% |
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. data.dol.gov · NAICS 2022, sector 23
FAQ: OSHA in Indiana
▸Is Indiana a federal OSHA or state-plan state?
Indiana is an OSHA-approved State Plan covering both private and public employers. Private-sector construction employers in this state answer to the state plan, not federal OSHA. Its standards must be at least as effective as federal OSHA, and some state plans set higher penalty maximums.
▸What are the maximum OSHA penalties in Indiana in 2026?
Indiana sets its own maximums: Indiana (IC 22-8-1.1-27.1) sets its own maximums below the federal amounts: serious up to $7,000; a knowing (Indiana's term for willful) or repeat violation up to $70,000, rising to $132,598 only when a knowing violation contributed to a worker's death. Serious violations carry up to $7,000 each (other-than-serious the same), and Willful or Repeat violations up to $70,000 each. Failure-to-Abate runs up to $7,000 per day. These 2026 amounts are unchanged from 2025 (no inflation adjustment).
▸Does Indiana have its own OSHA plan?
Yes. Indiana operates a full state plan administered by Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA), covering both private and public employers. State plans must be "at least as effective" as federal OSHA and may set higher penalties.
▸How many OSHA construction citations does Indiana see?
In FY2025 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), OSHA construction inspections in Indiana produced 411 citations across 205 inspections, with $465,205 in penalties at current amounts (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23, Construction). Because Indiana runs its own State Plan, these are the state agency's own figures.
▸Did OSHA penalties go up in 2026 in Indiana?
No. The 2026 federal maximums are unchanged from 2025 because the required CPI adjustment was not published (OMB Memo M-26-11), so the 2025 amounts carry forward unchanged. 29 CFR 1903.15 identifies January 15, 2025 as the effective reference for these figures. Indiana's state-set maximums are tracked separately by Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA). Do not treat 2026 as an increase.
▸Which OSHA violations are cited most in Indiana construction?
Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) cited 29 CFR 1926.501 most often in Indiana construction in FY2025, 62 times (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Nationally, federal OSHA cited fall protection (29 CFR 1926.501) most often in construction in FY2025, 6,772 times (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards).
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Sources & verification
- OSHA Penalties (osha.gov/penalties)
- OSHA State Plans (osha.gov/stateplans)
- 2026 Annual Adjustments to OSHA Civil Penalties
Penalty amounts and plan status were checked against OSHA sources on 2026-10-05. This page is general information, not legal advice. State plans set their own amounts and procedures; confirm current figures with Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) before relying on them.
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.
Serious violation, Indiana
$7,000
per violation (max)
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