In Vermont, PPE General Requirements is enforced for private construction employers by Vermont OSHA (VOSHA). Vermont sets its own penalty maximums under 21 V.S.A. §210, adjusted each year; this page does not reproduce the current state table. For reference, the federal maximums are $16,550 for a serious violation and $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation.
29 CFR 1910.132 · Vermont
PPE General Requirements Requirements in Vermont
PPE General Requirements in Vermont: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1910.132, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
VermontGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Vermont OSHA (VOSHA)
On construction work, 29 CFR 1926.95 and 1926.28(a) (Part 1926 Subpart E) govern instead of 29 CFR 1910.132. In Vermont, Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) enforces the state's own rule on this subject, Federal PPE standards as adopted by VOSHA; Vermont-specific rules limited to the PEL table and 1910.269 Appendix A. 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
2.2
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Vermont, 2024 (BLS)
Vermont 29 CFR 1910.132 Enforcement, FY2025
Verified · 2026-08-081
citations of 29 CFR 1910.132 (FY2025)
$2,903
penalties for this standard
1.1%
of the state's 91 construction citations
In FY2025, Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 1 times on Vermont construction jobsites with $2,903 in penalties for it (current amounts), about 1.1% of every construction citation the state issued that year.
What Vermont's own rule says
Vermont's list of state-specific rules is short and it is worth knowing exactly how short: two items, the Vermont permissible exposure limits and a mandatory Appendix A to 1910.269. Everything else VOSHA enforces is adopted federal text, published as clean-text documents. So the PPE duties here are the federal ones, and the place a Vermont-specific requirement will surface is not in Subpart I but in the exposure table that sits underneath the hazard assessment.
Federal PPE standards as adopted by VOSHA; Vermont-specific rules limited to the PEL table and 1910.269 Appendix AThe duty matches the federal text. Only the citation number differs.
Read in Vermont OSHA (VOSHA)'s own rule text · verified 2026-08-09
Contact incidents and work deaths in Vermont, 2024
Vermont recorded 8 fatal work injuries in 2024, down from 16 in 2023. Contact incidents caused 1 of them (13%). Construction accounted for 1.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Vermont, 2024
How Vermont Enforces 29 CFR 1910.132
Vermont runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Vermont OSHA (VOSHA), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Vermont's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is Federal PPE standards as adopted by VOSHA; Vermont-specific rules limited to the PEL table and 1910.269 Appendix A. Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 1 time in Vermont construction in FY2025 (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Vermont sets its own civil-penalty maximums under 21 V.S.A. §210.
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 Vermont 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.
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Help and oversight in Vermont
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Vermont, the program is Project WorkSAFE (Vermont Department of Labor). 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.
Federal Penalty Amounts, for Reference (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) |
Vermont sets its own maximums under 21 V.S.A. §210. The amounts written into the statute are the federal 2017 base (willful or repeat not more than $126,749 and not less than $5,000; serious and other-than-serious up to $12,675; failure to abate up to $12,675 for each day it continues; posting up to $12,675), and §210(a)(9) has the Commissioner adjust them on the CPI-U and publish the result on or before January 1 each year. The latest table on VOSHA's penalty page (read October 2, 2026) is its 2024 adjustment, effective February 1, 2024: serious up to $16,131 and willful up to $161,323. The page shows no 2025 or 2026 table, so the federal maximums shown here are the upper bound a Vermont employer should plan against. Whatever the year's figure, §210(a)(4) sets failure to abate at the serious rate per day, not at the willful ceiling. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) 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 Vermont: Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) 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)).
Vermont Safety & Enforcement Profile
91
FY2025 construction citations
Vermont OSHA (VOSHA)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Vermont, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (13), Roofing Contractors (7) and Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (5), out of 57 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Fatal injury rate in Vermont, 2024: 2.2 per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries. BLS did not publish a 2024 construction rate here.
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 Vermont
What are the penalties for 29 CFR 1910.132 violations in Vermont in 2026?
Vermont sets its own maximums under 21 V.S.A. §210. The amounts written into the statute are the federal 2017 base (willful or repeat not more than $126,749 and not less than $5,000; serious and other-than-serious up to $12,675; failure to abate up to $12,675 for each day it continues; posting up to $12,675), and §210(a)(9) has the Commissioner adjust them on the CPI-U and publish the result on or before January 1 each year. The latest table on VOSHA's penalty page (read October 2, 2026) is its 2024 adjustment, effective February 1, 2024: serious up to $16,131 and willful up to $161,323. The page shows no 2025 or 2026 table, so the federal maximums shown here are the upper bound a Vermont employer should plan against. Whatever the year's figure, §210(a)(4) sets failure to abate at the serious rate per day, not at the willful ceiling. For reference, the federal maximums are $16,550 for a serious violation and $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. Each distinct violation can be cited as its own item. (Source: 21 V.S.A. §210; 29 CFR 1903.15(d); verified 2026-10-05.)
Which Vermont industries most often face a PPE General Requirements inspection?
PPE General Requirements inspections reach general-industry employers in Vermont, not the construction trades. Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) 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 Vermont?
29 CFR 1910.132 is enforced against general-industry employers in Vermont, so the construction citation totals published for Vermont (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 VOSHA require a written PPE hazard assessment?
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 Vermont, VOSHA, the state's own program, can cite a failure to perform or document the assessment, separately from any citation for missing equipment.
Who pays for required PPE in Vermont?
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. VOSHA enforces this.
Can I get free OSHA help in Vermont without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Vermont is Project WorkSAFE (Vermont Department of Labor). 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 Vermont cite 29 CFR 1910.132 in construction?
In FY2025, Vermont OSHA (VOSHA) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 1 times on Vermont construction jobsites, with $2,903 in penalties for that standard alone (current amounts), about 1.1% of the 91 construction citations the state issued that year. (Source: OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23; verified 2026-08-08.)
PPE General Requirements Guides & Resources
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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 Vermont
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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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, federal maximum
$16,550
per violation (max)
VS
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