In Ohio, 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 federal OSHA.
29 CFR 1910.132 · Ohio
PPE General Requirements Requirements in Ohio
PPE General Requirements in Ohio: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1910.132, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
OhioGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)Federal OSHA Jurisdiction
On construction work, 29 CFR 1926.95 and 1926.28(a) (Part 1926 Subpart E) govern instead of 29 CFR 1910.132. In Ohio, federal OSHA enforces 29 CFR 1910.132. 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
3.2
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Ohio, 2024 (BLS)
Federal OSHA in Ohio: 29 CFR 1910.132, FY2025
Counted · 2026-09-262
citations of 29 CFR 1910.132 in 1 inspections
$1,654
penalties, current amounts ($2,765 as first proposed)
0.1%
of the 1,752 federal construction citations in Ohio
In FY2025, federal OSHA cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 2 times in inspections of Ohio construction employers. It ranked 36th of the 65 standards cited in them. By classification: 2 serious. Most-cited paragraphs: 1910.132(d)(1) (1), 1910.132(f)(1) (1).
NAICS 23 classifies the employer, not the work. 29 CFR 1910.132 does not govern construction work, so these citations do not measure what happens on construction jobsites.
Counted by HazComFast from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA enforcement data (inspection and violation tables, retrieved September 26, 2026): citations issued October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025 on federal OSHA inspections of construction employers (NAICS 23) in the state, deleted citations excluded, penalties at current amounts. OSHA's own cited-standards tool does not break federal states out; summed over every state, this count matches it within a few citations (6,778 for 1926.501, against 6,772). data.dol.gov
What federal OSHA is targeting in Ohio
Ohio has no state OSHA plan for private-sector work, so there is no state rule to read. What differs here is which hazards federal OSHA schedules inspections for, as set out in published emphasis directives.
Regional Emphasis Program (REP) for Exposure to Noise Hazards in the Workplace
CPL 04-00-27 · Chicago Regional Office · effective June 1, 2021
“This Instruction applies to all Area Offices in Region V.”
Region V's noise program has been extended rather than replaced: an extension effective May 31, 2026 keeps CPL 04-00-27 in force until December 31, 2026, or until superseded by an updated directive. It covers every area office, which is the whole of Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin for private-sector work.
Contact incidents and work deaths in Ohio, 2024
Ohio recorded 165 fatal work injuries in 2024, up from 164 in 2023. Contact incidents caused 28 of them (17%). Construction accounted for 23.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Ohio, 2024
How Ohio Enforces 29 CFR 1910.132
Ohio has no State Plan, so federal OSHA has jurisdiction. 29 CFR 1910.132 is enforced by U.S. Department of Labor compliance officers using standard federal procedures and the federal penalty maximums.
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. An Ohio 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.
Help and oversight in Ohio
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Ohio, the program is Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OSHA On-Site Consultation Program). 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.
Who inspects private employers here
Federal OSHA, from the Cincinnati Area Office (Cincinnati), the Cleveland Area Office (Independence), the Columbus Area Office (Columbus) and the Toledo Area Office (Toledo).
Read on osha.gov and the state's official statute site, September 26, 2026.
Ohio Penalty Amounts for 29 CFR 1910.132 (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) |
Ohio applies the federal OSHA maximums. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Federal OSHA reduces the proposed penalty for employer size, good faith and history (FOM CPL 02-00-164 Ch. 6). There was no inflation increase for 2026: the 2025 amounts remain in effect (OMB Memo M-26-11).
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 Ohio: Federal OSHA inspects private construction employers; Ohio has no State Plan.
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)).
Ohio Safety & Enforcement Profile
26,559
Federal construction citations (national, FY2025)
1,752 of them in Ohio (HazComFast count)
Federal OSHA
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Ohio, FY2025: Roofing Contractors (476), Framing Contractors (120) and Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (65), out of 1,050 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in Ohio, 2024: 7.5 per 100,000 full-time workers, 34th 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 Ohio
Which Ohio industries most often face a PPE General Requirements inspection?
PPE General Requirements inspections reach general-industry employers in Ohio, not the construction trades. Federal OSHA inspects these employers directly, since Ohio has no state plan covering the private sector. 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 Ohio?
29 CFR 1910.132 is enforced against general-industry employers in Ohio, so the construction citation totals published for Ohio (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).
Can I get free OSHA help in Ohio without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Ohio is Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OSHA On-Site Consultation Program). 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 federal OSHA cite 29 CFR 1910.132 in Ohio construction?
In FY2025, federal OSHA cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 2 times in 1 inspections of Ohio construction employers, with $1,654 in penalties at current amounts ($2,765 as first proposed), 0.1% of the 1,752 citations those inspections produced. It ranked 36th of the 65 standards cited. NAICS 23 classifies the employer, not the work: 29 CFR 1910.132 does not govern construction work itself. (HazComFast count from U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, retrieved 2026-09-26.)
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
17 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)Maryland29 CFR 1910.132 as adopted by COMAR 09.12.31.01, with COMAR 09.12.32 Heat Stress Standardsown maxMichiganMIOSHA Construction Safety Standard Part 6, R 408.40601 to R 408.40636 (payment at R 408.40617a)own max
Other OSHA Standards in Ohio
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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