OSHA Standards Quick Reference Guide

OSHA standards are the mandatory workplace safety and health regulations issued by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration under Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (29 CFR). They are organized into three main parts: 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry), 29 CFR 1926 (Construction), and 29 CFR 1904 (injury and illness recordkeeping). Each standard sets specific, enforceable requirements employers must meet to protect workers from a defined hazard.

29 CFR 1910 is the General Industry standard, which applies to most workplaces — manufacturing, warehousing, healthcare, and services. 29 CFR 1926 is the Construction standard, which applies to construction, alteration, and repair work. Some hazards are covered by both parts with different rules (for example, fall protection generally triggers at 4 feet in general industry but 6 feet in construction), so an employer must apply the part that matches the work being performed.

For 2026, OSHA's maximum civil penalties are $16,550 per serious or other-than-serious violation and $165,514 per willful or repeated violation (the 2026 amounts are unchanged from 2025 — no CPI increase). A failure-to-abate violation can be assessed up to $16,550 per day. Because each violated standard can be a separate citation, penalties across an inspection add up quickly.

OSHA's most-cited standards year after year include Fall Protection in construction (1926.501), Hazard Communication (1910.1200), Ladders (1926.1053), Respiratory Protection (1910.134), and Scaffolding (1926.451). Fall protection (1926.501) is first in OSHA's Top 10 for fiscal year 2025. The most-cited list is a practical starting point for prioritizing a compliance program.

Use the search box on this page, or browse by category — Construction (1926), General Industry (1910), or Recordkeeping (1904). You can search by CFR number (for example, '1910.134') or by hazard (for example, 'confined space'). Each standard page gives a verbatim CFR excerpt, a plain-language explanation, common violations, a compliance checklist, and the 2026 penalty exposure.

Not entirely. Federal OSHA covers most states, but a number of states and territories (29 in total, 22 of which cover private-sector employers) run their own OSHA-approved State Plans. A State Plan must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and may be stricter — California's Cal/OSHA is a well-known example. See our OSHA State Plans and OSHA Penalties by State pages for jurisdiction-specific details.