In Utah, a serious Confined Spaces violation carries a maximum penalty of $16,131 per violation in 2026, rising to $161,323 for a willful or repeat violation. Confined Spaces is enforced for private construction employers by Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH), under Utah Admin. Code R614-1-5.D.8 rather than 29 CFR 1910.146. Utah sets its own maximums, below the federal baseline.
29 CFR 1910.146 · Utah
Confined Spaces Requirements in Utah
Confined Spaces in Utah: 2026 penalties, who enforces Utah Admin. Code R614-1-5.D.8, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
UtahGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH)State-set maximums
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 Utah, Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH) enforces the state's own rule on this subject, Utah Admin. Code R614-1-5.D.8. A serious violation carries up to $16,131 in Utah.
$16,131
maximum for a serious violation in Utah
$161,323
maximum for a willful or repeat violation in Utah
3.7
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Utah, 2024 (BLS)
What Utah's own rule says
“Employees shall be provided with and use approved type safety harnesses and shall be tied off securely so as to be suspended above the level of the product before entering any bin, chute or storage place containing material that might cave or run.”
Utah writes engulfment protection as its own rule rather than leaving it inside the permit-space program. Before entering any bin, chute or storage place holding material that can cave or run, the worker is in an approved harness tied off so as to be suspended above the product, not merely attached. Cleaning and barring down starts from the top, using bars blunt on one end or with a ring or D handhold. Employees may not work on top of material stored above chutes, drawholes or conveyors while material is being withdrawn unless protected, and those openings must carry grizzlies or equivalent devices to prevent a fall in. The federal standard reaches the same hazard through permits and atmospheric testing; Utah reaches it through prescribed physical measures.
Utah Admin. Code R614-1-5.D.8The duty itself differs from the federal text.
Read in Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH)'s own rule text · verified 2026-08-09
Harmful exposures and work deaths in Utah, 2024
Utah recorded 63 fatal work injuries in 2024, down from 69 in 2023. Exposure to harmful substances or environments caused 10 of them (16%). Construction accounted for 10.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Utah, 2024
How Utah Enforces Confined Spaces
Utah runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Utah's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is Utah Admin. Code R614-1-5.D.8, which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH) issued no citations under 29 CFR 1910.146 in Utah construction in FY2025. Utah also sets its own civil-penalty maximums, below the federal baseline (see the penalty table below).
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 Utah 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 Utah State Plan governs it. Start free
Help and oversight in Utah
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Utah, the program is UOSH Consultation and Education Services (UOSH 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.
Read on osha.gov and the state's official statute site, September 26, 2026.
Utah Penalty Amounts for Confined Spaces (2026)
Verified · 2026-10-05| Violation type | 2026 maximum | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | $16,131 | Utah state maximum |
| Willful | $161,323 | Utah state maximum |
| Repeat | $161,323 | Utah state maximum |
| Failure to abate | $16,131/day | Utah state maximum per day |
Utah (Utah Code §34A-6-307, effective May 7, 2025) sets its own statutory maximums just below the federal amounts: serious up to $16,131; willful/repeat up to $161,323, with a $11,518 minimum per willful violation. Failure to abate runs up to $16,131 per day. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH) 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 Utah: Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH) 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 $16,131.
- 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)).
Utah Safety & Enforcement Profile
269
FY2025 construction citations
Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Utah, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (44), Framing Contractors (28) and Roofing Contractors (27), out of 277 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in Utah, 2024: 6.1 per 100,000 full-time workers, 38th highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 3.7).
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 Utah
What are the penalties for Confined Spaces violations in Utah in 2026?
In Utah, a serious Confined Spaces violation carries a maximum penalty of $16,131 per violation, and a willful or repeat violation up to $161,323. Utah sets its own maximums, below the federal baseline. Utah (Utah Code §34A-6-307, effective May 7, 2025) sets its own statutory maximums just below the federal amounts: serious up to $16,131; willful/repeat up to $161,323, with a $11,518 minimum per willful violation. Failure to abate runs up to $16,131 per day. Each distinct violation can be cited as its own item. (Source: Utah Code §34A-6-307; verified 2026-10-05.)
Which Utah industries most often face a Confined Spaces inspection?
Confined Spaces inspections reach general-industry employers in Utah, not the construction trades. Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division (UOSH) 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 Utah?
29 CFR 1910.146 is enforced against general-industry employers in Utah, so the construction citation totals published for Utah (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 Utah?
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. Utah employers must test the atmosphere before and during entry, ventilate as necessary, post an attendant, and have a rescue plan, enforced by UOSH.
Who enforces confined-space rules (1910.146) in Utah?
UOSH, Utah Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Utah Labor Commission, not federal OSHA. Utah 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 Utah without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Utah is UOSH Consultation and Education Services (UOSH 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.
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. 5207.0510NevadaNRS 618.383 and NRS 618.305 (sources for standards)New 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 1926.1130
Other OSHA Standards in Utah
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, Utah
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per violation (max)
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