In Virginia, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) carries a maximum penalty of $16,287 per violation in 2026, rising to $162,849 for a willful or repeat violation. PPE General Requirements is enforced for private construction employers by Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH). Virginia sets its own maximums, below the federal baseline.
29 CFR 1910.132 · Virginia
PPE General Requirements Requirements in Virginia
PPE General Requirements in Virginia: 2026 penalties, who enforces 29 CFR 1910.132 as adopted by 16VAC25-90, with 16VAC25-97-40 for ground guides, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
VirginiaGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH)State-set maximums
On construction work, 29 CFR 1926.95 and 1926.28(a) (Part 1926 Subpart E) govern instead of 29 CFR 1910.132. In Virginia, Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) enforces 29 CFR 1910.132. A serious violation carries up to $16,287 in Virginia.
$16,287
maximum for a serious violation in Virginia
$162,849
maximum for a willful or repeat violation in Virginia
3.2
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Virginia, 2024 (BLS)
Virginia 29 CFR 1910.132 Enforcement, FY2025
Verified · 2026-08-083
citations of 29 CFR 1910.132 (FY2025)
$0
penalties for this standard
0.2%
of the state's 1,753 construction citations
In FY2025, Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 3 times on Virginia construction jobsites with $0 in penalties for it (current amounts), about 0.2% of every construction citation the state issued that year. That put it 46th on Virginia's most-cited construction list for FY2025.
What Virginia's own rule says
“Be provided with and wear during nighttime operations a safety vest or jacket with retroreflective material in orange, yellow, white, silver, strong yellow green, or a fluorescent version of these colors and shall be visible at a minimum distance of 1,000 feet.”
The general PPE duties are federal-identical in Virginia: 16VAC25-90 adopts 1910.132, most recently amended 5/15/2017. Where Virginia goes further is for anyone acting as a designated observer or ground guide for a backing vehicle: 16VAC25-97-40 sets the garment colours for day and night work, fixes a minimum nighttime visibility of 1,000 feet, and bans personal phones and headphones while signalling. It also forbids the guide from crossing close behind a vehicle that is reversing and requires constant visual contact with the driver, who must stop the moment that contact is lost.
29 CFR 1910.132 as adopted by 16VAC25-90, with 16VAC25-97-40 for ground guidesThe duty itself differs from the federal text.
Read in Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH)'s own rule text · verified 2026-08-08
Contact incidents and work deaths in Virginia, 2024
Virginia recorded 137 fatal work injuries in 2024, up from 117 in 2023. Contact incidents caused 21 of them (15%). Construction accounted for 37.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Virginia, 2024
How Virginia Enforces 29 CFR 1910.132
Virginia runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Virginia's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is 29 CFR 1910.132 as adopted by 16VAC25-90, with 16VAC25-97-40 for ground guides, which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 3 times in Virginia construction in FY2025 (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards). Virginia also sets its own civil-penalty maximums, below the federal baseline (see the penalty table below).
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 Virginia 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.
HazComFast records the state of every jobsite and shows that the Virginia State Plan governs it. Start free
Help and oversight in Virginia
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Virginia, the program is Occupational Safety and Health – Training and Consultation (Virginia Department of Labor & Industry). 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.
Virginia Penalty Amounts for 29 CFR 1910.132 (2026)
Verified · 2026-10-05| Violation type | 2026 maximum | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | $16,287 | Virginia state maximum |
| Willful | $162,849 | Virginia state maximum |
| Repeat | $162,849 | Virginia state maximum |
| Failure to abate | State schedule | Virginia publishes its own failure-to-abate amount; see the state schedule |
Virginia (Code of Virginia §40.1-49.4) sets its own maximums, CPI-adjusted each August 1 and running slightly below federal: serious up to $16,287; willful/repeat up to $162,849 (willful minimum $10,000). Amounts are ceilings per violation. Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) 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 Virginia: Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) 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 $16,287.
- 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)).
Virginia Safety & Enforcement Profile
1,753
FY2025 construction citations
Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Virginia, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (210), Roofing Contractors (156) and Framing Contractors (105), out of 1,222 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in Virginia, 2024: 13.6 per 100,000 full-time workers, 6th highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 3.2).
- 2026 legislation directs Virginia's Safety and Health Codes Board to adopt indoor and outdoor heat illness standards by May 1, 2028. (HB 1092 / SB 288 (2026 session), signed April 13, 2026)
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 Virginia
What are the penalties for 29 CFR 1910.132 violations in Virginia in 2026?
In Virginia, a serious violation of 29 CFR 1910.132 carries a maximum penalty of $16,287 per violation, and a willful or repeat violation up to $162,849. Virginia sets its own maximums, below the federal baseline. Virginia (Code of Virginia §40.1-49.4) sets its own maximums, CPI-adjusted each August 1 and running slightly below federal: serious up to $16,287; willful/repeat up to $162,849 (willful minimum $10,000). Each distinct violation can be cited as its own item. (Source: Va. Code §40.1-49.4; verified 2026-10-05.)
Which Virginia industries most often face a PPE General Requirements inspection?
PPE General Requirements inspections reach general-industry employers in Virginia, not the construction trades. Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) 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 Virginia?
29 CFR 1910.132 is enforced against general-industry employers in Virginia, so the construction citation totals published for Virginia (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 VOSH require a written PPE hazard assessment in Virginia?
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 Virginia, VOSH, the state's own OSHA program, can cite a failure to perform or document the assessment, separately from any citation for missing equipment.
Who pays for required PPE in Virginia?
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. VOSH enforces this in Virginia.
Can I get free OSHA help in Virginia without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Virginia is Occupational Safety and Health – Training and Consultation (Virginia Department of Labor & Industry). 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 Virginia cite 29 CFR 1910.132 in construction?
In FY2025, Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) cited 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE General Requirements) 3 times on Virginia construction jobsites, with $0 in penalties for that standard alone (current amounts), about 0.2% of the 1,753 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
16 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 Virginia
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, Virginia
$16,287
per violation (max)
VS
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