Puerto Rico OSHA State Plan (PR OSHA): what a contractor needs to know
The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Administration (PR OSHA) is part of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources which is headed by the Secretary. Puerto Rico OSHA's main office is located in Hato Rey. There are six other area offices in the Commonwealth. The Puerto Rico State Plan covers private-sector workplaces in the Commonwealth, with 7 exceptions OSHA lists, and state and local government employers. OSHA first approved it on August 15, 1977 (42 FR 43628). OSHA's page for the plan also lists its state plan certification (September 7, 1982 (47 FR 39164)) and its operational status agreement (June 11, 1982 (47 FR 25323), amended June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36617) and September 25, 2025 (91 FR 21963)); it lists no final approval under section 18(e). Hazard communication: Puerto Rico adopts the federal standards identically, with its own rules confined to workplace violence, boilers and pressure vessels, and elevators: hazard communication follows the federal text.
Verified against OSHA's page for the Puerto Rico State Plan · October 28, 2026
At a glance
Agency
The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Administration (PR OSHA) is part of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources which is headed by the Secretary. Puerto Rico OSHA's main office is located in Hato Rey. There are six other area offices in the Commonwealth.
Initial Approval
August 15, 1977 (42 FR 43628)
State Plan Certification
September 7, 1982 (47 FR 39164)
Operational Status Agreement
June 11, 1982 (47 FR 25323), amended June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36617) and September 25, 2025 (91 FR 21963)
Who it covers
Private-sector workplaces with 7 listed exceptions, plus state and local government employers
29 CFR 1952.22Standards of its own
PR OSHA has identically adopted all OSHA standards and regulations applicable to state and local government and private sector employment with minor revisions to the recordkeeping regulation. All of these standards and regulations have been translated into Spanish and are available on the Puerto Rico State Plan website. In addition, PR OSHA has enacted a standard to address workplace violence situations, including procedures for handling domestic violence incidents in the workplace. It also has its own standards on boilers and pressure vessels, and on elevators.
Hazard communication
PR OSHA state plan: identical adoption
Construction citations, FY2025
501 citations in 99 inspections
Who the PR OSHA plan covers
The Puerto Rico State Plan applies to private sector workplaces in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (herein referred to as the Commonwealth) except for:
- Marine construction conducted by private sector employers;
- Maritime employment, including shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring operations;
- Private sector employment performing work on federal government owned or leased property where federal employees are regularly present, at federal government-owned contractor-operated sites (GOCOs); and construction on federal property;
- Private sector employment located within the secured borders of U.S. military installations where access is controlled;
- Situations where the State Plan is temporarily unable to fully or effectively exercise its enforcement authority;
- Situations when the State Plan is refused entry to a workplace and is unable to obtain a warrant or otherwise enforce its right of entry; and
- All working conditions of aircraft cabin crewmembers onboard aircraft in operation.
The Puerto Rico State Plan covers private sector workers of the Commonwealth and state and local government workers; however, it does not cover federal government employers, including USPS. Federal OSHA covers the issues not covered by the Puerto Rico State 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. PR OSHA also investigates private and state and local government retaliation cases under a provision analogous to Section 11(c).
Source: OSHA, Puerto Rico State Plan, read October 28, 2026.
The standards Puerto Rico writes for itself
PR OSHA has identically adopted all OSHA standards and regulations applicable to state and local government and private sector employment with minor revisions to the recordkeeping regulation. All of these standards and regulations have been translated into Spanish and are available on the Puerto Rico State Plan website. In addition, PR OSHA has enacted a standard to address workplace violence situations, including procedures for handling domestic violence incidents in the workplace. It also has its own standards on boilers and pressure vessels, and on elevators.
OSHA's page names the standards; the binding text is the state's own (PR OSHA website). Where a federal standard applies, the state enforces it as it adopted it.
Hazard communication in Puerto Rico
The rule
Puerto Rico adopts the federal standards identically, with its own rules confined to workplace violence, boilers and pressure vessels, and elevators: hazard communication follows the federal text.
What the state text says
OSHA's Puerto Rico state-plan page states, in Spanish, that "OSHA Puerto Rico ha adoptado idénticamente todas las normas y reglamentos de OSHA Federal": Puerto Rico has identically adopted all federal OSHA standards and regulations. Its own promulgated standards cover workplace violence, boilers and pressure vessels, and elevators; hazard communication is not among them. This is OSHA's characterization of the plan rather than a quotation from a Puerto Rico regulation, so treat it as the mechanism, not as a compliance date.
OSHA State Plan overviewThe 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.
PR OSHA enforcement in construction, FY2025
PR OSHA issued 501 citations in 99 construction inspections in FY2025 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), with $828,646 in penalties at their current amounts.
| Rank in Puerto Rico | Standard | Citations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 CFR 1910.1200 | 44 | 8.8% |
| 2 | 29 CFR 1926.51 | 41 | 8.2% |
| 3 | 29 CFR 1926.405 | 32 | 6.4% |
| 4 | 29 CFR 1926.501 | 29 | 5.8% |
| 5 | 29 CFR 1926.20 | 28 | 5.6% |
OSHA Frequently Cited Standards tool, NAICS 23, Puerto Rico, 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
OSHA's page for the plan does not give Puerto Rico's penalty amounts, and this page gives none: ask PR OSHA for the amounts in force on the citation date.
Contesting a citation
The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act grants employers the right to contest citations, abatement requirements, and proposed penalties, and workers to contest the reasonableness of abatement dates. Contests are heard by hearing examiners appointed by the Secretary. For more information on these proceedings, please visit the Puerto Rico State Plan website.
Working under the PR OSHA plan, in five steps
Step 1
Check that the jobsite is under the State Plan
OSHA lists 7 exceptions to PR OSHA's private-sector coverage, starting with marine construction conducted by private sector employers. Work under an exception is not PR OSHA's: it falls to federal OSHA. Read the exception that fits your work in the list below.
Step 2
Read the Puerto Rico standards that touch your trade
PR OSHA has identically adopted all OSHA standards and regulations applicable to state and local government and private sector employment with minor revisions to the recordkeeping regulation. All of these standards and regulations have been translated into Spanish and are available on the Puerto Rico State Plan website. In addition, PR OSHA has enacted a standard to address workplace violence situations, including procedures for handling domestic violence incidents in the workplace. It also has its own standards on boilers and pressure vessels, and on elevators. Check the state's adoption rules for the date each federal change takes effect.
Step 3
Set your HazCom program to the state rule
Puerto Rico adopts the federal standards identically, with its own rules confined to workplace violence, boilers and pressure vessels, and elevators: hazard communication follows the federal text.
Step 4
Know the penalties and the contest path
The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act grants employers the right to contest citations, abatement requirements, and proposed penalties, and workers to contest the reasonableness of abatement dates. 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
PR OSHA 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 Puerto Rico State Plan on August 15, 1977 (42 FR 43628). OSHA's page for the plan also lists its state plan certification (September 7, 1982 (47 FR 39164)) and its operational status agreement (June 11, 1982 (47 FR 25323), amended June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36617) and September 25, 2025 (91 FR 21963)); it lists no final approval under section 18(e).
- A summary of the Puerto Rico State Plan is codified at 29 CFR 1952.22.
- OSHA lists 7 exceptions to the plan's private-sector coverage; federal OSHA covers the issues 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.
- In FY2025 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), PR OSHA issued 501 construction citations in 99 inspections, with $828,646 in current penalties (OSHA cited-standards tool).
Puerto Rico State Plan FAQ
Who enforces OSHA in Puerto Rico?
The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Administration (PR OSHA) is part of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources which is headed by the Secretary. Puerto Rico OSHA's main office is located in Hato Rey. There are six other area offices in the Commonwealth. OSHA first approved the plan on August 15, 1977 (42 FR 43628). OSHA's page for the plan also lists its state plan certification (September 7, 1982 (47 FR 39164)) and its operational status agreement (June 11, 1982 (47 FR 25323), amended June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36617) and September 25, 2025 (91 FR 21963)); it lists no final approval under section 18(e). The summary of the plan is codified at 29 CFR 1952.22.
Does the Puerto Rico State Plan cover private construction contractors?
Yes, with the exceptions OSHA lists for the plan (7 of them, such as marine construction conducted by private sector employers). The plan also covers state and local government employers; federal OSHA covers the issues the plan does not (29 CFR 1952.22).
Does Puerto Rico have OSHA standards of its own?
PR OSHA has identically adopted all OSHA standards and regulations applicable to state and local government and private sector employment with minor revisions to the recordkeeping regulation. All of these standards and regulations have been translated into Spanish and are available on the Puerto Rico State Plan website. In addition, PR OSHA has enacted a standard to address workplace violence situations, including procedures for handling domestic violence incidents in the workplace. It also has its own standards on boilers and pressure vessels, and on elevators. (plan summary: 29 CFR 1952.22)
What hazard communication rule applies in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico adopts the federal standards identically, with its own rules confined to workplace violence, boilers and pressure vessels, and elevators: hazard communication follows the federal text. Classification verified against OSHA's page for the plan on October 16, 2026; the federal standard is 29 CFR 1910.1200.
How do I contest a citation from PR OSHA?
The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act grants employers the right to contest citations, abatement requirements, and proposed penalties, and workers to contest the reasonableness of abatement dates. Contests are heard by hearing examiners appointed by the Secretary. For more information on these proceedings, please visit the Puerto Rico 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.
Sources
- OSHA, Puerto Rico State Plan (read October 28, 2026)
- 29 CFR 1952.22, Puerto Rico State Plan summary (eCFR)
- PR OSHA state plan: identical adoption (OSHA's description of the plan)
- OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23, Puerto Rico (FY2025 figures extracted August 8, 2026)
- PR OSHA website
OSHA's page for the plan read on October 28, 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 inspections come unannounced, apart from the few exceptions listed in 29 CFR 1903.6. Get the binder in order before the opening conference, not during it.
New sign-ups are paused. The free tools below need no account, and customers can log in as usual.
Your account keeps working as usual. Cancel anytime.