In Texas, 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 federal OSHA.
29 CFR 1926.501 · Texas
Fall Protection Requirements in Texas
Fall Protection in Texas: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1926.501, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
TexasConstruction (29 CFR 1926)Federal OSHA Jurisdiction
In FY2025, federal OSHA cited 29 CFR 1926.501 777 times in Texas construction (25.6% of its construction citations there, the standard it cited most). The paragraph cited most was 1926.501(b)(13), residential construction, with 606 citations.
777
1926.501 citations in Texas construction, FY2025
(b)(13)
paragraph cited most in Texas (606 citations)
9.5
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers in construction, Texas, 2024 (BLS)
Federal OSHA in Texas: 29 CFR 1926.501, FY2025
Counted · 2026-09-26777
citations of 29 CFR 1926.501 in 766 inspections
$4,002,858
penalties, current amounts ($4,794,880 as first proposed)
25.6%
of the 3,040 federal construction citations in Texas
In FY2025, federal OSHA cited 29 CFR 1926.501 (Fall Protection) 777 times in inspections of Texas construction employers. No standard was cited more often in those inspections. By classification: 635 serious, 116 repeat, 1 willful, 25 other-than-serious. Most-cited paragraphs: 1926.501(b)(13) (606), 1926.501(b)(1) (89), 1926.501(b)(10) (33).
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 Texas
Texas 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 for Construction
DAL-CPL-04-00-001 · Dallas Regional Office · effective October 4, 2024
“This Instruction applies to all worksites in Oklahoma, and Texas, and those worksites in New Mexico that are under Federal OSHA jurisdiction.”
Construction across the whole of Oklahoma and Texas is programmed for inspection, targeting NAICS 236, 237 and 238: building construction, heavy and civil engineering, and the specialty trades. Neither state runs its own OSHA plan, so this directive is the closest thing either has to a state-level construction enforcement policy.
Regional Emphasis Program for Cranes used in Construction
DAL-CPL-04-00-002 · Dallas Regional Office · effective October 2, 2024
“This Instruction applies to all worksites in Oklahoma, Texas, and those worksites in New Mexico that are under Federal OSHA jurisdiction.”
Cranes in construction carry a second, separate program covering the same territory. Two programmed-inspection programs over the same worksites means a Texas or Oklahoma project with a crane on it can be selected under either, and an opening conference on one does not preclude the other.
Regional Emphasis Program for Fall Hazards in Non-Construction
CPL 2 02-00-024B · Dallas Regional Office · effective January 1, 2023
“This Notice applies to all worksites in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, and those worksites in New Mexico that are under Federal OSHA jurisdiction.”
This one is worth reading for what it is not. Fall protection outside construction is programmed separately across the same four states, which means a fall in a warehouse, a plant or a yard is judged against the general industry walking-working surfaces rules in Subpart D, not against 1926.501, and the trigger heights, criteria and citation all differ. Knowing which side of that line the work falls on is the whole question when a job mixes construction and maintenance.
Falls and work deaths in Texas, 2024
Texas recorded 557 fatal work injuries in 2024, down from 564 in 2023. Falls, slips and trips caused 77 of them (14%). Construction accounted for 128, 40 of them from falls, slips and trips.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Texas, 2024
Fall Protection Cases in Texas
Shielder Ventures LLC (D&G Quality Roofing)
$223,341Burleson, Texas - fatal fall at a Houston worksite · 2022
A 21-year-old roofing worker fell about 30 feet through a skylight atop a Houston building. OSHA cited the contractor for two willful violations for failing to provide fall-arrest systems and one serious violation for failing to train employees, one month after a nearly identical citation at a worksite near Austin.
U.S. Department of Labor / OSHA news release, June 29, 2022How Texas Enforces 29 CFR 1926.501
Texas has no State Plan, so federal OSHA has jurisdiction. 29 CFR 1926.501 is enforced by U.S. Department of Labor compliance officers using standard federal procedures and the federal penalty maximums.
In Texas, the FY2025 citations under 29 CFR 1926.501 went most often to Roofing Contractors (334) and Framing Contractors (329). A single inspection can produce several per-instance citations. Recurring self-audits against 29 CFR 1926.501, before an officer arrives, are the most reliable defense.
Help and oversight in Texas
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Texas, the program is Texas OSHA Consultation (Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers Compensation). 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 Austin Area Office (Austin), the Corpus Christi Area Office (Corpus Christi), the Dallas Area Office (Richardson), the El Paso Area Office (El Paso), the Fort Worth Area Office (Fort Worth), the Houston North Area Office (Conroe), the Houston South Area Office (Houston), the Lubbock Area Office (Lubbock) and the San Antonio Area Office (San Antonio).
Read on osha.gov and the state's official statute site, September 26, 2026.
Texas 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) |
Texas 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 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 Texas: Federal OSHA inspects private construction employers; Texas has no State Plan.
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 Texas, FY2025
Federal OSHA issued 777 citations under 29 CFR 1926.501 to Texas 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. 606 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)(1) Unprotected sides and edges. 89 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 …”
- 3
1926.501(b)(10) Roofing work on Low-slope roofs. 33 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) …”
- 4
1926.501(b)(11) Steep roofs. 17 citations
“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 …”
- 5
1926.501(b)(4)(i) 10 citations
“Each employee on walking/working surfaces shall be protected from falling through holes (including skylights) more than 6 feet (1.8 m) above lower levels, by personal fall arrest systems, …”
- 6
1926.501(b)(4)(ii) 9 citations
“Each employee on a walking/working surface shall be protected from tripping in or stepping into or through holes (including skylights) by covers.”
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
Texas Safety & Enforcement Profile
26,559
Federal construction citations (national, FY2025)
3,040 of them in Texas (HazComFast count)
Federal OSHA
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Texas, FY2025: Roofing Contractors (502), Framing Contractors (475) and Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (196), out of 2,231 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Cited most under 29 CFR 1926.501 in Texas, FY2025: Roofing Contractors (334), Framing Contractors (329) and Finish Carpentry Contractors (19), of 777 citations.
- Construction fatality rate in Texas, 2024: 9.5 per 100,000 full-time workers, 18th highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 3.9).
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 Texas
Which Texas construction trades are cited most under Fall Protection?
In FY2025, federal OSHA issued 777 citations under 29 CFR 1926.501 to Texas construction employers, most often to Roofing Contractors (334), Framing Contractors (329) and Finish Carpentry Contractors (19) (HazComFast count from Labor Department enforcement data, by the cited employer's NAICS industry). Federal OSHA inspects these employers directly, since Texas has no state plan covering the private sector. For context, federal OSHA issued 3,040 citations across 1,339 inspections of Texas construction employers in FY2025 (HazComFast count from Labor Department enforcement data). Companies in these trades should self-audit against 29 CFR 1926.501 on a recurring basis.
How often is Fall Protection cited on Texas jobsites?
OSHA's cited-standards tool does not break Texas out, but the Labor Department's enforcement data do: in FY2025, federal OSHA issued 3,040 citations across 1,339 inspections of Texas construction employers, 777 of them under 29 CFR 1926.501 (HazComFast count). A Fall Protection citation in Texas can come from any inspection: programmed, complaint-driven or post-accident. Texas's fatality figures are shown above.
How many people die from falls in Texas?
In 2024, falls, slips and trips killed 77 Texas workers, out of 557 work deaths in the state. Construction accounted for 128 of those deaths, 40 of them from falls, slips and trips (BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries).
Does OSHA specifically target fall protection in Texas?
Yes. Texas has no State Plan, so federal OSHA enforces 1926.501 directly. OSHA's National Emphasis Program on falls (CPL 03-00-025, effective May 1, 2023) authorizes compliance officers to open an inspection whenever they observe someone working at heights, and the Dallas region's Regional Emphasis Program for Construction (DAL-CPL-04-00-001, effective October 2, 2024), which covers Texas and Oklahoma, targets falls from elevation, caught-in or between, struck-by and electrocution hazards.
What is a large OSHA fall-protection penalty in Texas?
In 2022, OSHA proposed $223,341 against a Burleson-based roofing contractor (Shielder Ventures LLC, operating as D&G Quality Roofing) after a 21-year-old worker fell about 30 feet through a skylight at a Houston building. OSHA issued two willful and one serious violation one month after a nearly identical citation at a worksite near Austin (source: US DOL / OSHA news release, June 29, 2022).
Can I get free OSHA help in Texas without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Texas is Texas OSHA Consultation (Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers Compensation). 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 1926.501 in Texas construction?
In FY2025, federal OSHA cited 29 CFR 1926.501 (Fall Protection) 777 times in 766 inspections of Texas construction employers, with $4,002,858 in penalties at current amounts ($4,794,880 as first proposed), 25.6% of the 3,040 citations those inspections produced. No standard was cited more often there. (HazComFast count from U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, retrieved 2026-09-26.)
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
14 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 maxHawaiiHAR §12-110-3, with the definition of "infeasible" at §12-110-50(b)(1)Kentucky803 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)
Other OSHA Standards in Texas
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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