Vermont OSHA State Plan (VOSHA): what a contractor needs to know
The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) is a part of the Vermont Department of Labor. The main office is located in Montpelier. The Vermont State Plan covers private-sector workplaces in the state, with 3 exceptions OSHA lists, and state and local government employers. OSHA first approved it on October 16, 1973 (38 FR 28658). OSHA's page for the plan also lists its state plan certification (March 4, 1977 (42 FR 12428)) and its operational status agreement (May 12, 1975 (40 FR 20627), amended on June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36627)); it lists no final approval under section 18(e). Hazard communication: Vermont incorporates federal standards chapter by chapter and writes only two of its own: PELs and lineworker safety.
Verified against OSHA's page for the Vermont State Plan · October 28, 2026
At a glance
Agency
The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) is a part of the Vermont Department of Labor. The main office is located in Montpelier.
Initial Approval
October 16, 1973 (38 FR 28658)
State Plan Certification
March 4, 1977 (42 FR 12428)
Operational Status Agreement
May 12, 1975 (40 FR 20627), amended on June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36627)
Who it covers
Private-sector workplaces with 3 listed exceptions, plus state and local government employers
29 CFR 1952.14Standards of its own
2 unique standards on OSHA's list
Hazard communication
Code Vt. R. 24-050: chapter-by-chapter incorporation
Construction citations, FY2025
91 citations in 31 inspections
Who the VOSHA plan covers
The Vermont State Plan applies to private sector workplaces in the state with the exception of:
- Offshore maritime employment, including offshore shipyard employment and longshoring;
- Contract workers and contractor-operated facilities engaged in United States Postal Service (USPS) mail operations; and
- All working conditions of aircraft cabin crewmembers onboard aircraft in operation.
The State Plan covers state and local government workers. VOSHA does not cover federal government employers, including USPS. Federal OSHA covers the issues not covered by the Vermont 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. The State Plan also investigates private and state and local government workplace retaliation cases under a provision analogous to Section 11(c).
Source: OSHA, Vermont State Plan, read October 28, 2026.
The standards Vermont writes for itself
VOSHA has adopted OSHA standards by reference; in addition, there are two unique standards currently in effect:
Unique standards
- Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
- Lineworker Safety
OSHA's page names the standards; the binding text is the state's own (VOSHA website). Where a federal standard applies, the state enforces it as it adopted it.
Hazard communication in Vermont
The rule
Vermont incorporates federal standards chapter by chapter and writes only two of its own: PELs and lineworker safety. Hazard communication has no Vermont chapter, so the federal text governs.
What the state text says
OSHA's Vermont state-plan page records that "VOSHA has adopted OSHA standards by reference; in addition, there are two unique standards currently in effect": permissible exposure limits and lineworker safety. Vermont builds its rules as topic-by-topic chapters under Code Vt. R. 24-050, each incorporating an individual federal standard by reference (welding, respiratory protection, laboratory chemicals, fall protection, confined spaces, steel erection). Hazard communication has no chapter of its own, consistent with it not being one of the two unique standards. This is OSHA's record of the plan rather than a quotation from a Vermont rule.
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.
VOSHA enforcement in construction, FY2025
VOSHA issued 91 citations in 31 construction inspections in FY2025 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), with $224,778 in penalties at their current amounts.
OSHA Frequently Cited Standards tool, NAICS 23, Vermont, 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
The amounts that apply to a citation from VOSHA, and the sources behind them, are on the Vermont penalties page.
Vermont penaltiesContesting a citation
VOSHA management personnel conduct informal conferences in an effort to resolve cases. Citations may be contested before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Board. The Review Board's hearing judges conduct hearings on contested VOSHA citations. Orders of the hearing judges may be reviewed by the Review Board. Orders of the Review Board and final orders of hearing judges where the Review Board has declined a request for review may be appealed to the Vermont Superior Court. For more information on these proceedings, please visit the Vermont State Plan website.
Working under the VOSHA plan, in five steps
Step 1
Check that the jobsite is under the State Plan
OSHA lists 3 exceptions to VOSHA's private-sector coverage, starting with offshore maritime employment, including offshore shipyard employment and longshoring. Work under an exception is not VOSHA's: it falls to federal OSHA. Read the exception that fits your work in the list below.
Step 2
Read the Vermont standards that touch your trade
OSHA's list of Vermont standards has no construction entry; 2 standards cover other sectors. The federal construction standards apply as adopted by the state.
Step 3
Set your HazCom program to the state rule
Vermont incorporates federal standards chapter by chapter and writes only two of its own: PELs and lineworker safety.
Step 4
Know the penalties and the contest path
VOSHA management personnel conduct informal conferences in an effort to resolve 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
Project WorkSAFE (Vermont Department of Labor) 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 Vermont State Plan on October 16, 1973 (38 FR 28658). OSHA's page for the plan also lists its state plan certification (March 4, 1977 (42 FR 12428)) and its operational status agreement (May 12, 1975 (40 FR 20627), amended on June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36627)); it lists no final approval under section 18(e).
- A summary of the Vermont State Plan is codified at 29 CFR 1952.14.
- OSHA lists 3 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.
- OSHA's page lists 2 standards Vermont wrote for itself.
- In FY2025 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), VOSHA issued 91 construction citations in 31 inspections, with $224,778 in current penalties (OSHA cited-standards tool).
Vermont State Plan FAQ
Who enforces OSHA in Vermont?
The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) is a part of the Vermont Department of Labor. The main office is located in Montpelier. OSHA first approved the plan on October 16, 1973 (38 FR 28658). OSHA's page for the plan also lists its state plan certification (March 4, 1977 (42 FR 12428)) and its operational status agreement (May 12, 1975 (40 FR 20627), amended on June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36627)); it lists no final approval under section 18(e). The summary of the plan is codified at 29 CFR 1952.14.
Does the Vermont State Plan cover private construction contractors?
Yes, with the exceptions OSHA lists for the plan (3 of them, such as offshore maritime employment, including offshore shipyard employment and longshoring). The plan also covers state and local government employers; federal OSHA covers the issues the plan does not (29 CFR 1952.14).
Does Vermont have OSHA standards of its own?
Yes. OSHA's page for the plan lists 2: Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), Lineworker Safety. The other standards are federal standards the state adopts (plan summary: 29 CFR 1952.14).
What hazard communication rule applies in Vermont?
Vermont incorporates federal standards chapter by chapter and writes only two of its own: PELs and lineworker safety. Hazard communication has no Vermont chapter, so the federal text governs. 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 VOSHA?
VOSHA management personnel conduct informal conferences in an effort to resolve cases. Citations may be contested before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Board. The Review Board's hearing judges conduct hearings on contested VOSHA citations. Orders of the hearing judges may be reviewed by the Review Board. Orders of the Review Board and final orders of hearing judges where the Review Board has declined a request for review may be appealed to the Vermont Superior Court. For more information on these proceedings, please visit the Vermont 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, Vermont State Plan (read October 28, 2026)
- 29 CFR 1952.14, Vermont State Plan summary (eCFR)
- Code Vt. R. 24-050: chapter-by-chapter incorporation (OSHA's description of the plan)
- OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23, Vermont (FY2025 figures extracted August 8, 2026)
- VOSHA website
- Project WorkSAFE
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.
Serious violation, federal maximum
$16,550
per violation (max)
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