In Nevada, a serious Confined Spaces violation carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation in 2026, rising to $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. Confined Spaces is enforced for private construction employers by Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA), under NRS 618.383 and NRS 618.305 (sources for standards) rather than 29 CFR 1910.146.
29 CFR 1910.146 · Nevada
Confined Spaces Requirements in Nevada
Confined Spaces in Nevada: 2026 penalties, who enforces NRS 618.383 and NRS 618.305 (sources for standards), the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
NevadaGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA)
29 CFR 1910.146 does not apply to construction work; on a jobsite the rule is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213). In Nevada, Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA) enforces the state's own rule on this subject, NRS 618.383 and NRS 618.305 (sources for standards). 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
2.3
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Nevada, 2024 (BLS)
What Nevada's own rule says
Permit-required confined space entry in Nevada runs on the federal standard; the Division's own chapter adds no entry rules. The state layer is the program around it: the written safety program required by NRS 618.383 must be carried out within 90 days of establishment, delivered in a language and format each employee understands, and, above 25 employees, overseen by a safety committee that includes representatives the employees themselves select. An employer using a temporary employment service must give those workers specialised safety training before they start at each site, or as soon as possible after, which is exactly the population that ends up attending a permit space.
NRS 618.383 and NRS 618.305 (sources for standards)The duty itself differs from the federal text.
Harmful exposures and work deaths in Nevada, 2024
Nevada recorded 33 fatal work injuries in 2024, down from 57 in 2023. Exposure to harmful substances or environments caused 5 of them (15%). Construction accounted for 9.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Nevada, 2024
How Nevada Enforces Confined Spaces
Nevada runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Nevada's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is NRS 618.383 and NRS 618.305 (sources for standards), which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA) issued no citations under 29 CFR 1910.146 in Nevada construction in FY2025. Nevada applies the federal penalty maximums.
29 CFR 1910.146 is a general-industry standard and does not govern construction work. “This section does not apply to agriculture, to construction, or to shipyard employment”. Construction confined spaces are 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213), a separate standard with its own duties. It is not universal either: 1926.1201(b) carves out work already regulated by Subpart P (excavations), Subpart S (underground construction, caissons, cofferdams, compressed air) and Subpart Y (diving). A Nevada contractor auditing against 29 CFR 1910.146 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 Nevada State Plan governs it. Start free
Help and oversight in Nevada
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Nevada, the program is Safety, Consultation & Training Section (Department of Business & Industry - Division of 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.
Nevada Penalty Amounts for Confined Spaces (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) |
Nevada applies the federal OSHA maximums. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA) computes proposed penalties under its own State Plan procedures.
Key Confined Spaces Requirements Under the Federal Standard 29 CFR 1910.146
- Evaluate workplace for confined spaces
- Develop written permit space program
- Test atmosphere before and during entry
- Provide ventilation to control hazardous atmospheres
- Station an attendant outside each permit space
- Arrange rescue services before entry begins
- Issue entry permits for each entry
Who enforces it in Nevada: Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA) 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 1910.146 are on the 29 CFR 1910.146 page.
What a Confined Spaces Violation Looks Like
Each item below breaches a specific paragraph of 29 CFR 1910.146. It is a list of requirements, not a ranking. A serious violation carries up to $16,550.
- Failing to evaluate the workplace to identify permit-required confined spaces (1910.146(c)(1)).
- Entry without atmospheric testing or with an atmosphere outside the acceptable ranges (1910.146(c)(5)/(d)).
- No written permit-space program, or no signed entry permit for the entry (1910.146(c)(4)/(e)).
- No attendant stationed outside, or the attendant entering to attempt a rescue (1910.146(i)/(k)).
- No arranged rescue and emergency services before entry (1910.146(k)).
Nevada Safety & Enforcement Profile
319
FY2025 construction citations
Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Nevada, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (69), Roofing Contractors (36) and Site Preparation Contractors (28), out of 378 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in Nevada, 2024: 7.9 per 100,000 full-time workers, 28th highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 2.3).
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 Confined Spaces Compliance Tools
Confined Spaces FAQ for Nevada
Which Nevada industries most often face a Confined Spaces inspection?
Confined Spaces inspections reach general-industry employers in Nevada, not the construction trades. Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NV OSHA) inspects these employers directly and may apply requirements beyond the federal standard. A construction employer should not audit against 29 CFR 1910.146: the standard that governs the same work on a jobsite is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213).
How often is Confined Spaces cited in Nevada?
29 CFR 1910.146 is enforced against general-industry employers in Nevada, so the construction citation totals published for Nevada (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23) do not measure it. “This section does not apply to agriculture, to construction, or to shipyard employment”. Construction confined spaces are 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213), a separate standard with its own duties. It is not universal either: 1926.1201(b) carves out work already regulated by Subpart P (excavations), Subpart S (underground construction, caissons, cofferdams, compressed air) and Subpart Y (diving). A construction employer should not audit against 29 CFR 1910.146: the standard that governs the same work on a jobsite is 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA (1926.1201–1213).
What makes a space a 'permit-required confined space' under 1910.146 in Nevada?
A confined space is permit-required if it has a hazardous atmosphere (or the potential for one), an engulfment hazard, an inward-converging configuration that could trap a worker, or any other recognized serious hazard. Nevada employers must test the atmosphere before and during entry, ventilate as necessary, post an attendant, and have a rescue plan, enforced by Nevada OSHA.
Who enforces confined-space rules (1910.146) in Nevada?
Nevada OSHA, the state program within the Division of Industrial Relations, not federal OSHA. Nevada runs a full OSHA-approved State Plan, so a state compliance officer inspects and cites 1910.146 on private jobsites.
Can I get free OSHA help in Nevada without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Nevada is Safety, Consultation & Training Section (Department of Business & Industry - Division of 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.
Confined Spaces Guides & Resources
Compare this combination against any other state and standard with the enforcement risk lookup.
Confined Spaces in Other States
13 other state plans write a rule of their own for 29 CFR 1910.146 rather than adopting the federal text unchanged. Those are listed first. Compare all of them side by side.
Alaska8 AAC 61.1050Arizona29 CFR 1910.146 as adopted by A.A.C. R20-5-602; construction spaces under R20-5-601California8 CCR §5157, with §5158 for spaces outside the permit programown maxHawaii29 CFR 1910.146 as incorporated by HAR §12-60-50(a), with §12-60-7Minnesota29 CFR 1910.146 as adopted by Minn. R. 5205.0010, with Minn. R. 5207.0510New Mexico29 CFR 1910.146 as incorporated by 11.5.2.9(A) NMACown maxNorth Carolina13 NCAC 07F .0207, incorporating bloodborne pathogens into construction at 29 CFR 1926.1130South Carolina29 CFR 1910.146 as adopted by Subarticle 6; competent person for excavations revised at Subarticle 7, modification Fown max
Other OSHA Standards in Nevada
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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