Hawaii OSHA Keeps Penalty Levels Unchanged for 2026 -- Occupational Health & Safety

Hawaii OSHA Keeps Penalty Levels Unchanged for 2026

HIOSH announced that workplace safety and health penalty amounts will remain unchanged for 2026 after federal OSHA declined to issue an inflation-based increase this year.

By Stasia DeMarco
Jun 04, 2026

The Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH) announced that workplace safety and health penalty amounts will remain unchanged for 2026, citing the absence of a federal OSHA inflation adjustment this year.

Under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act, state-plan states such as Hawaii are required to maintain penalty structures that are at least as effective as those established by federal OSHA. Because federal OSHA did not issue a 2026 adjustment, Hawaii's current penalty levels will remain in place.

As a result, the state's maximum penalties will continue at 2025 levels, including up to $16,550 per violation for serious and other-than-serious violations and up to $165,514 per violation for willful or repeated violations.

HIOSH said it will continue to monitor federal developments and provide updates if future changes to penalty amounts are required.

About the Author

Stasia DeMarco is the content editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

Product Showcase

Featured

When Safety Boots Fail the Foot: What the Toe Standard Doesn't Cover

Safety boots meeting ASTM F2413 crush standards often lack essential arch support, driving plantar fasciitis and worker fatigue on hard jobsite surfaces. Read Now
How Crane Training Is Responding to New Regulations and Site Demands

Modern crane safety requires moving beyond baseline certification toward continuous, employer-verified qualification under actual site conditions. Read Now
What Recurring Inspection Findings Can Reveal About Hidden Safety Risks

Treating recurring inspection findings as systemic warnings rather than isolated lapses exposes hidden operational failures before serious incidents occur. Read Now
Industrial Hygiene and Exposure Risk Management in a Changing Regulatory Environment

Overlapping federal regulations around PFAS, silica, and heat stress require shifting from site-specific sampling projects to defensible, enterprise-wide industrial hygiene programs. Read Now
Why Small Safety Violations Lead to Major Construction Incidents

Minor safety shortcuts normalize workplace hazards and create cascading failures that trigger major construction accidents. Read Now
Respiratory Protection: What OEHS Professionals Need to Know About Proposed Federal Changes

Proposed OSHA revisions seek to eliminate pre-use medical evaluations for N95s and loose-fitting PAPRs to streamline employer compliance. Read Now

Artificial Intelligence

Skilled Trade Workers Turn to AI Amid Surge in Labor Demand
Trade professionals increasingly rely on automation, digital tools and continuous training to combat workforce shortages.
How Connected Safety Helps Lean Safety Teams Do More
Deploying IoT wearables and AI video analytics provides short-staffed EHS teams with continuous visibility, closing operational blind spots and stopping SIFs before they occur.
The Hidden Safety Risk of AI: Losing the Ability to Recover
AI may improve hazard detection and injury prevention, but organizations that rely too heavily on automation could inadvertently weaken the human skills and organizational resilience needed to manage unexpected events.
The Next Frontier in Fall Protection Is Prediction
By combining AI, video analytics, and real-time environmental monitoring, predictive safety systems are giving EHS leaders new tools to identify fall risks before workers are exposed to danger.
How AI-Powered Preventive Maintenance Is Improving Workplace Safety
Combining predictive AI analytics with inspection history shifts equipment maintenance from reactive emergency repairs to planned, low-risk safety controls.