What a PSM citation costs in 2026
OSHA's maximum penalties did not rise this year. The October 2025 inflation data used for the annual adjustment was never published during the federal funding lapse, so 2025 amounts carry into 2026.
| Violation type | What it means | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willful | Employer knew of the requirement and intentionally disregarded it, or was plainly indifferent to employee safety. | $11,823 | $165,514 |
| Repeat | Employer was previously cited for the same or a substantially similar violation. | $4,256 | $165,514 |
| Serious | Substantial probability of death or serious physical harm, and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. | $1,085 | $16,550 |
| Other-than-serious | Directly related to safety and health but unlikely to cause death or serious harm. | $0 | $16,550 |
| Failure to abate | Cited hazard not corrected by the abatement date. | — | $16,550 / day |
All amounts are per violation. Failure-to-abate penalties are generally limited to 30 days. Source: OSHA, 2026 Annual Adjustments to OSHA Civil Penalties (May 21, 2026).
Why PSM penalties compound
Per instance
OSHA can cite each instance separately. BP-Husky's 2010 citations included 39 willful violations cited on a per-instance basis — one reason the proposed total reached $3.04 million.
Failure to abate
Unfixed hazards keep costing. $56.7 million of BP's 2009 Texas City penalty came from 270 items BP had agreed to correct after 2005 and hadn't.
Proposed isn't final
Employers can contest citations before the OSH Review Commission. BP's $87.43M proposal ended in settlements of $50.6M and $13.03M; Chevron's Cal/OSHA case was reduced in a 2017 settlement.
See every case and source in the case record.