In Maryland, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 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 Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH). Maryland sets its own maximums, equal to the federal baseline.
29 CFR 1910.132 · Maryland
PPE General Requirements Requirements in Maryland
PPE General Requirements in Maryland: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1910.132 as adopted by COMAR 09.12.31.01, with COMAR 09.12.32 Heat Stress Standards, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
MarylandGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH)State-set maximums
On construction work, 29 CFR 1926.95 and 1926.28(a) (Part 1926 Subpart E) govern instead of 29 CFR 1910.132. In Maryland, Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) enforces 29 CFR 1910.132. A serious violation carries up to $16,550 in Maryland.
$16,550
maximum for a serious violation in Maryland
$165,514
maximum for a willful or repeat violation in Maryland
3.2
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Maryland, 2024 (BLS)
Maryland 29 CFR 1910.132 Enforcement, FY2025
Verified · 2026-08-081
citations of 29 CFR 1910.132 (FY2025)
$0
penalties for this standard
0%
of the state's 4,132 construction citations
In FY2025, Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 1 times on Maryland construction jobsites with $0 in penalties for it (current amounts), about 0% of every construction citation the state issued that year. That put it 68th on Maryland's most-cited construction list for FY2025.
What Maryland's own rule says
“Shaded areas shall: … (5) Accommodate the removal and storage of personal protective equipment during periods of use.”
The PPE standard itself is federal in Maryland. What changes the calculation on a hot site is COMAR 09.12.32, a heat stress chapter with no federal counterpart, triggered at a heat index of 80 degrees Fahrenheit indoors or outdoors. It requires shade close to the work area, open on at least three sides and large enough for employees to sit normally, and sized to let them take PPE off and store it. Where outdoor shade is demonstrably infeasible, alternative cooling and control measures must give equivalent protection; the chapter names cooling vests and air-cooled or water-cooled garments among them, which turns heat management into a PPE selection question.
29 CFR 1910.132 as adopted by COMAR 09.12.31.01, with COMAR 09.12.32 Heat Stress StandardsThe duty itself differs from the federal text.
Read in Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH)'s own rule text · verified 2026-08-08
Contact incidents and work deaths in Maryland, 2024
Maryland recorded 93 fatal work injuries in 2024, up from 69 in 2023. Contact incidents caused 9 of them (10%). Construction accounted for 18.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Maryland, 2024
How Maryland Enforces 29 CFR 1910.132
Maryland runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Maryland'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 1910.132 as adopted by COMAR 09.12.31.01, with COMAR 09.12.32 Heat Stress Standards, which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 1 time in Maryland construction in FY2025 (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Maryland also sets its own civil-penalty maximums, equal to the federal baseline (see the penalty table below).
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 Maryland 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 Maryland State Plan governs it. Start free
Help and oversight in Maryland
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Maryland, the program is MOSH Consultation Services (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). 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.
Maryland Penalty Amounts for 29 CFR 1910.132 (2026)
Verified · 2026-10-05| Violation type | 2026 maximum | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | $16,550 | Maryland state maximum |
| Willful | $165,514 | Maryland state maximum |
| Repeat | $165,514 | Maryland state maximum |
| Failure to abate | $16,550/day | Maryland state maximum per day |
Maryland sets its penalties under Labor and Employment §5-810, and the Commissioner of Labor and Industry adjusts them each July 15 on the CPI-U. MOSH's current amounts, effective July 15, 2025: up to $16,550 per violation, up to $16,550 for each day a violation is not corrected, up to $165,514 per willful or repeated violation, and a minimum of $16,550 per willful violation. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) computes proposed penalties under its own State Plan procedures.
Key PPE General Requirements Requirements 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 Maryland: Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) 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)).
Maryland Safety & Enforcement Profile
4,132
FY2025 construction citations
Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Maryland, FY2025: Roofing Contractors (274), Framing Contractors (149) and Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (63), out of 798 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in Maryland, 2024: 7.6 per 100,000 full-time workers, 31st highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 3.2).
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 Maryland
What are the penalties for 29 CFR 1910.132 violations in Maryland in 2026?
In Maryland, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1910.132 carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation, and a willful or repeat violation up to $165,514. Maryland sets its own maximums, equal to the federal baseline. Maryland sets its penalties under Labor and Employment §5-810, and the Commissioner of Labor and Industry adjusts them each July 15 on the CPI-U. MOSH's current amounts, effective July 15, 2025: up to $16,550 per violation, up to $16,550 for each day a violation is not corrected, up to $165,514 per willful or repeated violation, and a minimum of $16,550 per willful violation. Each distinct violation can be cited as its own item. (Source: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. §5-810; verified 2026-10-05.)
Which Maryland industries most often face a PPE General Requirements inspection?
PPE General Requirements inspections reach general-industry employers in Maryland, not the construction trades. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) 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 Maryland?
29 CFR 1910.132 is enforced against general-industry employers in Maryland, so the construction citation totals published for Maryland (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 MOSH require a written PPE hazard assessment in Maryland?
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 Maryland, MOSH, the state's own OSHA program, can cite a failure to perform or document the assessment, separately from any citation for missing equipment.
Who pays for required PPE in Maryland?
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. MOSH enforces this in Maryland.
Can I get free OSHA help in Maryland without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Maryland is MOSH Consultation Services (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). 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 Maryland cite 29 CFR 1910.132 in construction?
In FY2025, Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 1 times on Maryland construction jobsites, with $0 in penalties for that standard alone (current amounts), about 0% of the 4,132 construction citations the state issued that year. (Source: OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23; verified 2026-08-08.)
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.
Alaska29 CFR 1910.132 as adopted by 8 AAC 61.1010(b), with the substitutions at (e)ArizonaA.A.C. R20-5-602, with the term substitutions at R20-5-606California8 CCR §1514 (construction) and §3380 (general industry)own maxHawaiiHAR §12-60-2(b)(1) and §12-110-2(b)(1)Indiana610 IAC 9-2-8, incorporating 29 CFR 1903.7 to 1903.22 as in effect January 1, 2006own maxIowa481—210.4(88), with the beryllium limits stated in 481—211.2(88)MichiganMIOSHA Construction Safety Standard Part 6, R 408.40601 to R 408.40636 (payment at R 408.40617a)own maxMinnesotaMinn. R. 5205.0030 (general industry) and Minn. R. 5207.0100 (construction)
Other OSHA Standards in Maryland
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.
Serious violation, Maryland
$16,550
per violation (max)
VS
HazComFast Pro
$199/mo
10 jobsites, unlimited chemicals, unlimited workers
New sign-ups are paused. The free tools below need no account, and customers can log in as usual.
Your account keeps working as usual. Cancel anytime.