Maryland OSHA State Plan (MOSH): what a contractor needs to know
The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) State Plan is part of the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry. The main office is located in Hunt Valley. The Maryland State Plan covers private-sector workplaces in the state, with 6 exceptions OSHA lists, and state and local government employers. OSHA first approved it on July 5, 1973 (38 FR 17834) and gave it final approval under section 18(e) on July 18, 1985 (50 FR 29210), amended on April 27, 2026 (91 FR 22549). Hazard communication: Maryland incorporates the federal standards by reference and writes its own rules in ten other areas: hazard communication is not one of them.
Verified against OSHA's page for the Maryland State Plan · October 1, 2026
At a glance
Agency
The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) State Plan is part of the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry. The main office is located in Hunt Valley.
Initial Approval
July 5, 1973 (38 FR 17834)
State Plan Certification
February 15, 1980 (45 FR 10337)
18(e) Final Approval
July 18, 1985 (50 FR 29210), amended on April 27, 2026 (91 FR 22549)
Who it covers
Private-sector workplaces with 6 listed exceptions, plus state and local government employers
29 CFR 1952.9Standards of its own
10 unique standards on OSHA's list
Hazard communication
MOSH: federal standards incorporated by reference
Construction citations, FY2025
4,132 citations in 621 inspections
Who the MOSH plan covers
The Maryland State Plan applies to all private sector workplaces in the state except for:
- Maritime employment, including shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring;
- Employment on military bases;
- Contract workers and contractor-operated facilities engaged in United States Postal Service mail operations;
- All working conditions of aircraft cabin crewmembers onboard aircraft in operation;
- Private sector employment in Maryland on land or property owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties; at federal government-owned contractor-operated sites; or on federal property under construction; and
- Any hazard, industry, geographical area, operation, or facility over which the State Plan is unable to effectively exercise jurisdiction for reasons not related to the required performance or structure of the plan.
The Maryland State Plan also applies to state and local government employers. It does not apply to federal government employers including the United States Postal Service. Federal OSHA covers the issues not covered by the Maryland Plan. In addition, federal OSHA retains enforcement of the anti-retaliation provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Section 11(c), 29 USC 660(c), with respect to the private sector. MOSH also investigates private and state and local government workplace retaliation cases under a provision analogous to Section 11(c).
Source: OSHA, Maryland State Plan, read October 1, 2026.
The standards Maryland writes for itself
MOSH has adopted all federal OSHA standards that would relate to public and private sector employer operations which are incorporated by reference. In addition, MOSH has adopted the following unique standards:
General industry
- Prohibition on Smoking in an Indoor Place of Employment
- Standard for Confined Spaces
- Standard for Personnel Platforms Suspended from Cranes, Derricks and Hoists
- Tree Care and Removal
- Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde
Construction
- Fall Protection in Steel Erection
- Crane Safety
- Lead in Construction
- Excavations, Requirement for Protective Systems
Agriculture
- Standard for Field Sanitation
OSHA's page names the standards; the binding text is the state's own (MOSH website). Where a federal standard applies, the state enforces it as it adopted it.
Hazard communication in Maryland
The rule
MOSH: federal standards incorporated by reference
Maryland incorporates the federal standards by reference and writes its own rules in ten other areas: hazard communication is not one of them.
What the state text says
OSHA's Maryland state-plan page records that "MOSH has adopted all federal OSHA standards that would relate to public and private sector employer operations which are incorporated by reference." Maryland's own standards cover indoor smoking, confined spaces, personnel platforms, tree care, formaldehyde, steel-erection fall protection, cranes, lead in construction, excavations and field sanitation: hazard communication is not among them. Note for anyone tracing Maryland's rules: COMAR 09.12.21.02 and the 2026 "as amended" change published in the Maryland Register both concern 29 CFR Part 1904 recordkeeping, not Part 1910. This is OSHA's record of the plan rather than a quotation from a Maryland regulation.
Read the ruleThe federal compliance dates and how each State Plan adopted HCS 2024 are compared on HazCom deadlines 2026 and in HCS 2024 deadlines by State Plan. The rule every other State Plan cites is in the State Plan HazCom rule map.
MOSH enforcement in construction, FY2025
MOSH issued 4,132 citations in 621 construction inspections in FY2025 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), with $3,575,996 in penalties at their current amounts.
| Rank in Maryland | Standard | Citations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 CFR 1910.1200 | 609 | 14.7% |
| 2 | 29 CFR 1926.503 | 608 | 14.7% |
| 3 | 29 CFR 1926.501 | 434 | 10.5% |
| 4 | 29 CFR 1926.1053 | 390 | 9.4% |
| 5 | 29 CFR 1926.20 | 345 | 8.3% |
OSHA Frequently Cited Standards tool, NAICS 23, Maryland, figures extracted August 8, 2026. Ranks count every row the tool lists for the state. The tool now shows the following fiscal year; these are the FY2025 figures as extracted.
Penalties and appeals
Penalty maximums
Maryland sets its penalties under Labor and Employment §5-810, and the Commissioner of Labor and Industry adjusts them each July 15 on the CPI-U. MOSH's current amounts, effective July 15, 2025: up to $16,550 per violation, up to $16,550 for each day a violation is not corrected, up to $165,514 per willful or repeated violation, and a minimum of $16,550 per willful violation.
Maryland penaltiesContesting a citation
MOSH conducts informal conferences in an effort to resolve contested cases. When a citation is contested, a hearing examiner holds a hearing. For more information on these proceedings, please visit the Maryland State Plan website.
Working under the MOSH plan, in five steps
Step 1
Check that the jobsite is under the State Plan
OSHA lists 6 exceptions to MOSH's private-sector coverage, starting with maritime employment, including shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring. Work under an exception falls to federal OSHA.
Step 2
Read the Maryland standards that touch your trade
For construction, OSHA's list names Fall Protection in Steel Erection, Crane Safety, Lead in Construction, Excavations, Requirement for Protective Systems. Read the state text for each before you build the site plan.
Step 3
Set your HazCom program to the state rule
MOSH: federal standards incorporated by reference is the rule to read before you set compliance dates. Maryland incorporates the federal standards by reference and writes its own rules in ten other areas: hazard communication is not one of them.
Step 4
Know the penalties and the contest path
Maryland sets its own maximums (Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. §5-810): up to $16,550 for a serious violation. MOSH conducts informal conferences in an effort to resolve contested cases. The citation states the deadline to contest, and the state review body is described under Penalties and appeals.
Step 5
Use the free consultation program
MOSH Consultation Services (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) offers on-site consultation, separate from enforcement.
Run it in HazComFast
Every trade reads the same sheet
Put a QR code on the container and any worker on site, whoever signs their paycheck, opens its SDS with the phone camera. No app, no login, and no per-seat charge for workers, foremen or subs.
Built for jobsites where the signal drops
Your jobsite's SDS load onto the phone on their own. The app shows how many are ready (17 of 20, 20 of 20) before you head underground. First-aid steps for every product on the jobsite stay on the phone, even in airplane mode.
Approve it or send it back
Every submission lands in a review queue. Approve it, reject it with a reason, or ask for a revision. Each decision is stamped with who reviewed it and when: the trail a controlling employer needs when OSHA asks what it did before the crew mobilized.
What each plan includes
- InspectionsFrom Pro
- Corrective actionsFrom Pro
- OSHA 300, 301 and 300A logsFrom Starter
- 300A certification and posting windowFrom Starter
- Written HazCom program, versionedFrom Starter
- Training center and assignmentsFrom Starter
- Full record export, any timeEvery plan
- Litigation defense packageFrom Starter
Key facts
- OSHA first approved the Maryland State Plan on July 5, 1973 (38 FR 17834); final approval under section 18(e) came on July 18, 1985 (50 FR 29210), amended on April 27, 2026 (91 FR 22549).
- A summary of the Maryland State Plan is codified at 29 CFR 1952.9.
- OSHA lists 6 exceptions to the plan's private-sector coverage, and federal OSHA covers what the plan does not.
- Federal OSHA keeps enforcement of the anti-retaliation provision of section 11(c) of the OSH Act for the private sector, according to OSHA's page for the plan.
- OSHA's page lists 10 standards Maryland wrote for itself, 4 of them in construction.
- Hazard communication in Maryland runs through MOSH: federal standards incorporated by reference.
- In FY2025 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), MOSH issued 4,132 construction citations in 621 inspections, with $3,575,996 in current penalties (OSHA cited-standards tool).
- Maryland's maximum for a serious violation is $16,550, set by Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. §5-810.
In Maryland
State Plans
Maryland State Plan FAQ
Who enforces OSHA in Maryland?
The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) State Plan is part of the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry. The main office is located in Hunt Valley. The plan received final approval under section 18(e) of the OSH Act on July 18, 1985 (50 FR 29210), amended on April 27, 2026 (91 FR 22549), and its summary is codified at 29 CFR 1952.9.
Does the Maryland State Plan cover private construction contractors?
Yes, with the exceptions OSHA lists for the plan (6 of them, such as maritime employment, including shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring). The plan also covers state and local government employers; federal OSHA covers the rest (29 CFR 1952.9).
Does Maryland have OSHA standards of its own?
Yes. OSHA's page for the plan lists 10: general industry, Prohibition on Smoking in an Indoor Place of Employment, Standard for Confined Spaces, Standard for Personnel Platforms Suspended from Cranes, Derricks and Hoists, Tree Care and Removal, Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde; construction, Fall Protection in Steel Erection, Crane Safety, Lead in Construction, Excavations, Requirement for Protective Systems; agriculture, Standard for Field Sanitation. The other standards are federal standards the state adopts (plan summary: 29 CFR 1952.9).
What hazard communication rule applies in Maryland?
Maryland incorporates the federal standards by reference and writes its own rules in ten other areas: hazard communication is not one of them. The rule to read is MOSH: federal standards incorporated by reference. Classification verified against OSHA's page for the plan on August 7, 2026; the federal standard is 29 CFR 1910.1200.
How do I contest a citation from MOSH?
MOSH conducts informal conferences in an effort to resolve contested cases. When a citation is contested, a hearing examiner holds a hearing. For more information on these proceedings, please visit the Maryland State Plan website. Federal OSHA's 15-working-day notice of contest under 29 CFR 1903.17 does not govern a State Plan citation: the citation itself states the state deadline.
What are the OSHA penalties in Maryland?
Maryland sets its penalties under Labor and Employment §5-810, and the Commissioner of Labor and Industry adjusts them each July 15 on the CPI-U. MOSH's current amounts, effective July 15, 2025: up to $16,550 per violation, up to $16,550 for each day a violation is not corrected, up to $165,514 per willful or repeated violation, and a minimum of $16,550 per willful violation. The federal maximums under 29 CFR 1903.15(d) do not set Maryland's amounts.
Sources
- OSHA, Maryland State Plan (read October 1, 2026)
- 29 CFR 1952.9, Maryland State Plan summary (eCFR)
- MOSH: federal standards incorporated by reference (official text)
- OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23, Maryland (FY2025 figures extracted August 8, 2026)
- MOSH website
- MOSH Consultation Services
OSHA's page for the plan read on October 1, 2026; the state hazard communication rule on August 7, 2026. OSHA notes that a State Plan's own office has the latest information. General guidance, not legal advice.
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, Maryland
$16,550
per violation (max)
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