As they do every year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have increased their penalties for 2025.
Maximum OSHA civil penalties for 2025 have jumped to:
Serious & Other than Serious Violations: $16,550
Repeat & Willful Violations: $165,514
Failure to Abate (per day): $16,550
Changing gears and looking at EPA Penalties, here’s how they’re shaping up for 2025:
Environmental statutes enforced by the EPA usually specify a penalty amount for each day of violation, as well as a maximum limit on penalties. However, it’s important to note that some statutes permit civil judicial enforcement without a maximum penalty.
Clean Air Act (Daily): $124,426
Clean Water Act (Daily): $68,445
RCRA (Daily): $93,058
CERCLA (Including EPCRA) (Daily): $71,545
Why these changes? Blame inflation.
The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 mandates that federal agencies adjust their maximum penalties for violations to keep pace with the cost of living. This means that as the price of goods, like a gallon of milk, increases, so do the fines imposed by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
So, what can you do about it?
“Your dealership never wants to be cited by OSHA,” says Adam Crowell, Chief Legal and Strategy Officer at KPA. “Standard fines can be very expensive, and if OSHA finds the same conditions exist years after the fact, they can hit you with a Willful or Repeated violation of up to $165,514. This highlights the need for a proactive environmental, health, and safety program to identify and address issues before they escalate.”
Staying out of regulators’ crosshairs is a good thing, no matter which regulatory body you’re talking about.
Now’s a great time to save money by improving your dealership’s EHS program. See how easy and cost-effective it can be to reduce your dealership’s regulatory risk.
