OSHA updates: what changed, what's pending, and what to do now

Last updated 2026-07-09

How does OSHA update its rules, and how often does it happen?

OSHA changes what you owe as an employer through three doors: a full rulemaking (which can take years), a direct final rule for the non-controversial stuff, and enforcement policy memos that change how inspectors apply a standard without touching the standard itself. Each door moves at a different speed and gives you a different amount of warning. The agency's authority for all of it traces back to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 ^[1].

Full rulemaking follows the Administrative Procedure Act. OSHA publishes a proposed rule in the Federal Register, collects public comment for 60 to 90 days, sometimes holds hearings, then issues a final rule with a compliance date. A big rule like the heat standard can take five or more years start to finish. Enforcement policy changes can land in weeks, on nothing more than an internal directive or a press release.

That gap is where small businesses get caught. You can watch the Federal Register for formal rules, but enforcement shifts mean watching OSHA.gov and its National Emphasis Programs (NEPs). An NEP tells inspectors to go looking in specific industries or for specific hazards, no complaint required. OSHA has run an NEP on outdoor and indoor heat hazards since April 2022 ^[2]. So heat citations are already happening, years before the formal heat rule is final.

Penalty amounts climb every January under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. That single mechanism pushed OSHA's maximum serious penalty from $7,000 in 2015 to $16,550 per violation as of January 2024 ^[3]. Willful and repeat violations now top out at $165,514 each. Those are real numbers, and they hit a 10-person shop the same way they hit a factory.

What are the most significant OSHA rule changes in 2024 and 2025?

Three updates deserve your attention right now. One is already in force with a hard deadline you may have missed, one is still proposed but being enforced through the back door, and one quietly rewrote how inspections work.

Electronic recordkeeping expansion (29 CFR 1904, effective January 1, 2024). OSHA's revised recordkeeping rule ^[4] now requires establishments with 100 or more employees in high-hazard industries to submit their OSHA 300 log data and 301 incident reports electronically each year, on top of the 300A summary. Establishments with 20 to 99 employees in those same industries still submit only the 300A. The portal is OSHA's Injury Tracking Application (ITA) at injurytracking.osha.gov, and the deadline is March 2 of the following year. If you had 100 or more workers in a covered NAICS code and you didn't submit your 300 and 301 data by March 2, 2025 for calendar year 2024, you are already out of compliance.

Heat illness prevention rulemaking. OSHA published a proposed rule for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work on August 30, 2024 ^[2]. The proposal would require a written heat illness prevention plan, water, rest, and shade (or cool indoor space), an acclimatization schedule for new and returning workers, a heat trigger at 80°F, and a high heat trigger at 90°F. The rulemaking is still open as of mid-2025. You aren't legally bound by the formal standard yet, but the NEP is live and OSHA is citing heat under the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act) today.

Walkaround rule (29 CFR 1903.8, effective May 31, 2024). OSHA finalized a rule letting workers designate a third-party representative, including a union rep or community advocate, to walk your facility with an inspector, even at a non-union shop ^[5]. This changes inspection dynamics more than the length of the rule suggests. If your workers name an outside representative, that person has the right to be there. Talk to your attorney about it before an inspection ever happens, not during one.

How much are OSHA penalty amounts in 2025?

OSHA adjusts its civil penalties every January on a formula tied to the Consumer Price Index. A serious violation maxes at $16,550 per violation in 2025, and a willful or repeat violation tops out at $165,514. Here is how the maximums have moved since 2022.

Violation type	2022 max	2023 max	2024 max	2025 max
Other-than-serious	$14,502	$15,625	$16,131	$16,550
Serious	$14,502	$15,625	$16,131	$16,550
Willful or Repeat	$145,027	$156,259	$161,323	$165,514
Failure to abate	$14,502/day	$15,625/day	$16,131/day	$16,550/day

Note: 2025 figures come from OSHA's published January 2025 penalty update ^[3]. The "serious" and "other-than-serious" maximums are identical; the difference is how the inspector classifies the violation, not a different fee schedule.

For a business with thin margins, one repeat violation above $160,000 can end the company. OSHA does discount penalties, especially for small employers and good-faith effort. A small employer (fewer than 250 employees, and fewer than 10 at the site) may qualify for up to a 60 percent reduction under OSHA's penalty policy. Do the math on that and a serious violation still sits near $6,600, and a willful one can land above $66,000 after the cut.

Don't plan on settling cheap. Document your safety program, train your workers, keep records of every corrective action. Those three things decide how hard OSHA leans on you after a citation.

What is OSHA's heat illness prevention proposed rule and what does it require?

OSHA's proposed heat rule ^[2] would be the first federal heat standard in U.S. history. It covers every employer under federal OSHA jurisdiction with outdoor or indoor work where the heat index hits or passes 80°F. That threshold is lower than most owners guess, and it sweeps in a lot of indoor operations: warehouses, bakeries, laundries, commercial kitchens.

At the 80°F heat trigger, the proposal requires at least one quart of cool drinking water per worker per hour, access to shade or a cool rest area, and paid rest breaks when a worker needs to recover.

The 90°F high heat trigger adds more. Mandatory paid rest breaks of at least 15 minutes every two hours in a cool area. A buddy system or supervisory observation protocol. Immediate response procedures for any worker showing signs of heat illness.

Acclimatization is the part that trips up operations managers. New workers, and workers back from more than 14 days away, would follow a ramp-up over seven days before carrying a full workload in heat. The physiology backs this up: the adaptations that lower heat stroke risk take about a week to develop, which is why the schedule runs seven days rather than one or two.

Because the rule is still proposed, you're not required to run it yet. But the core elements cost almost nothing (water, shade, breaks, a ramp-up schedule) and they cut your exposure under the General Duty Clause, which OSHA is using for heat citations right now. OSHA's free heat illness prevention materials come in English and Spanish, and our OSHA training guide points to where they live.

What changed with OSHA electronic recordkeeping and who has to submit?

Before January 1, 2024, most small employers only had to electronically file the OSHA 300A Annual Summary, the one-page aggregate. The 2024 rule ^[4] added a requirement: establishments with 100 or more employees in designated high-hazard industries now also submit the full 300 log (every recordable incident) and the 301 incident reports (the detailed first reports of injury).

Here is the part owners miss. OSHA publishes the 300 and 301 data it collects. Worker names and addresses come off, but establishment names, cities, injury descriptions, and body parts stay visible. The point is to let researchers, unions, and workers see injury patterns at named workplaces. For you, that means your injury history becomes publicly searchable, which touches recruiting, customer relationships, and organizing drives.

Coverage rides on your NAICS code. OSHA's covered-industry list ^[4] includes agriculture, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation, utilities, retail trade, and several services categories. If you're in professional services, finance, or real estate, you're almost certainly outside the high-hazard requirement. When you're not sure, look up your six-digit NAICS code and check it against OSHA's published appendix.

Employers with 20 to 99 employees in high-hazard NAICS codes still submit only the 300A by March 2 each year. Employers with fewer than 20 at the establishment are generally exempt from routine electronic submission, though they still keep paper logs and hand them over when OSHA asks.

One mistake shows up again and again: mixing up establishment counts with company counts. OSHA's thresholds apply at the individual establishment, not the whole company. A company with three sites of 40 people each has no single establishment over the 100-employee line for full 300 log submission, even though the company payroll reads 120.

What is the OSHA walkaround rule and how does it affect small business inspections?

The walkaround rule, published in April 2024 and effective May 31, 2024 ^[5], amended 29 CFR 1903.8. Before it, a non-employee third-party representative could join an inspection only if the OSHA compliance officer decided they were "necessary" for a technically complex inspection. The new rule lets workers designate any third-party representative they reasonably believe can aid the inspection, technical or not.

In plain terms: a union organizer at a non-union shop, a community activist, or a worker center representative could walk your facility during an OSHA inspection if your workers pick them. The compliance officer keeps authority to remove a representative who disrupts things, but the burden flipped. Workers used to justify inclusion. Now employers justify exclusion.

Small businesses that have never had a formal inspection tend to underestimate how much preparation matters. An OSHA inspection covers records, hazard observation, and worker interviews. Inspectors are trained to spot violations you don't know you have. Put a third party in the room who's practiced at finding issues and coaching workers through interviews, and the whole visit changes character.

So run your own walkaround before an inspector ever shows up, using OSHA's compliance checklists for your industry. Fix what you find. Write down that you fixed it. That paper trail is your best defense against both the citation and the penalty bump that follows. Our OSHA basics overview breaks down what inspectors look at during a standard visit.

Which industries are OSHA targeting most aggressively right now?

OSHA's enforcement focus moves with each administration and each new wave of National Emphasis Programs. As of mid-2025, the sectors drawing the most proactive inspection activity are construction (always), warehousing and distribution, meatpacking and food processing, agriculture, and anything with outdoor work in warm climates.

Warehousing and distribution got a dedicated NEP in 2022 that widened in 2023. The driver was BLS data: workers in warehousing and storage logged a nonfatal injury and illness rate of 5.1 per 100 full-time workers in 2022, against a private-industry average of 2.7 ^[6]. Amazon's facilities are the visible target, but the NEP covers warehouses broadly. A 30-worker regional fulfillment operation is just as likely to draw a programmed inspection as a national chain.

Construction is still the single most cited industry. OSHA's "Fatal Four" (falls, struck-by, caught-in/between, and electrocution) together account for roughly 60 percent of construction deaths each year ^[7]. Fall protection (29 CFR 1926.502), scaffolding (29 CFR 1926.451), and ladders (29 CFR 1926.1053) sit near the top of the most-cited list across all industries year after year.

OSHA publishes its most-cited standards annually. The FY2024 list ^[8] shows a top 10 that has barely moved in a decade: fall protection in construction, hazard communication in general industry, respiratory protection, ladders, scaffolding, lockout/tagout (29 CFR 1910.147), powered industrial trucks (29 CFR 1910.178), fall protection training, eye and face protection, and machine guarding. If your work touches any of these, that's where your self-audit starts.

What OSHA rules are still pending or proposed as of 2025?

Beyond heat, several major rulemakings are in progress or recently closed out.

Workplace violence in healthcare (29 CFR 1910, healthcare settings). OSHA has been building a healthcare-specific workplace violence prevention standard since 2016. A proposed rule was expected in 2024 but hadn't been published as of mid-2025. Healthcare employers have run on OSHA's 2015 guidelines in the meantime ^[9]. If you operate a hospital, nursing home, clinic, or social services facility, watch this one.

Silica in construction and general industry. The crystalline silica standards (29 CFR 1910.1053 for general industry, 29 CFR 1926.1153 for construction) were finalized in 2016, and enforcement plus compliance assistance keep evolving. If you cut stone, do masonry, or grind concrete, you should be operating fully under these standards. No grace periods remain.

Emergency response standard. OSHA is developing a consolidated emergency response standard to replace the existing 29 CFR 1910.156 (fire brigades), 1910.120 (hazardous waste), and related rules. It has moved slowly.

COVID-era rollbacks. The Healthcare COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard expired without becoming a permanent rule. The general industry COVID-19 ETS was withdrawn. COVID-19 now falls under OSHA's existing respiratory protection and PPE standards, not a dedicated COVID rule.

For any rulemaking in progress, the authoritative source is the Unified Regulatory Agenda published twice yearly on reginfo.gov ^[10], which lists every federal agency's pipeline with status codes. It's dense, but it's the only source that shows the whole board.

How do OSHA state plan states handle updates differently?

Twenty-six states and territories run their own OSHA-approved state plans instead of federal OSHA ^[11]. The group includes California (Cal/OSHA), Washington (WISHA/L&I), Michigan (MIOSHA), Oregon, and others. State plans have to be "at least as effective" as federal OSHA, and plenty are stricter.

California is the sharpest example. Cal/OSHA has its own heat illness regulation (California Code of Regulations Title 8, Section 3395) that beat the federal proposed rule by nearly two decades. It covers outdoor workers when temperatures pass 80°F, requires shade for five or more workers, and spells out acclimatization and high-heat procedures. Operate in California and you're already under a mandatory heat rule, no waiting.

State plans adopt federal rules on their own clocks, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind. When a federal rule changes, state plan states generally have six months to adopt an identical or more protective standard. But they can move on their own initiative too. Washington's L&I adopted its own indoor heat rule before the federal proposal even hit the Federal Register.

Here's the implication: in a state plan state, track both federal OSHA updates and your state agency's rulemaking calendar. The full list of state plan states with links to each agency lives on OSHA.gov ^[11]. Our state plans section breaks down which states run stricter standards.

For OSHA training requirements, state plans sometimes accept different trainers or documentation formats, so a five-minute call to your state agency before you buy a program is worth it.

How should a small business owner actually stay current on OSHA updates?

No single source captures everything, but four habits cover about 95 percent of what matters.

First, subscribe to OSHA's QuickTakes newsletter. It's free, comes out biweekly, and covers new enforcement actions, proposed rules, and compliance guidance. Sign up at osha.gov. Five minutes to skim, and it flags anything worth a closer look.

Second, set up a Federal Register alert. A free notification from federalregister.gov lets you watch keywords like "OSHA" plus your NAICS code or industry terms. You get an email when a proposed or final rule publishes. Most rules won't touch your business, so the filter earns its keep.

Third, know your NAICS code and read OSHA's annual top-10 citations list every fall. OSHA usually releases it in October or November. If your industry shows up high, that's where your self-audit begins.

Fourth, review your written safety program once a year against the standards that apply to your operations. Most small businesses run either no written program or a generic one that doesn't match their actual hazards. That gap is where the real liability lives. If you want a compliant written program without burning 15 hours on it, SafetyFolio's safety program generator walks you through it in about 15 minutes and outputs a documented program tied to the standards that actually apply to your business.

The workplace safety news section here tracks developments month by month if you'd rather get a curated summary than drink from the Federal Register fire hose.

What do the latest BLS injury statistics tell us about where OSHA is headed next?

OSHA's priorities follow injury and fatality data closely, so the numbers tell you where enforcement goes next. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) annually, on about a 12-month lag ^[6]. The 2022 data (the most recent complete set cited widely in OSHA's rulemaking record) showed 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in private industry, a rate of 2.7 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers.

Fatalities tell a harsher story. The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries counted 5,486 fatal work injuries in 2022, up from 5,190 in 2021 ^[6]. That's the highest count since 2016. Transportation incidents led at 38.4 percent of all fatal injuries. Falls, slips, and trips came second at 17.0 percent. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals ranked third at 16.1 percent.

That violence figure is what pushed OSHA toward its healthcare workplace violence rulemaking. Healthcare and social assistance workers face the highest rates of workplace violence injuries, roughly five times the overall private-industry rate, per BLS data cited in OSHA's 2015 guidelines ^[9].

Heat is the number nobody trusts. BLS almost certainly undercounts heat deaths because many get coded under the underlying medical event (a heart attack, say) instead of environmental heat exposure. OSHA has admitted this limitation in its heat rulemaking record. The agency's own estimates put worker heat deaths at 50 to 70 per year where heat is named a primary cause, and the true count including heat as a contributing factor may run several times higher.

BLS data is free at bls.gov and worth a bookmark. When OSHA publishes a new NEP or proposes a rule, the SOII and CFOI numbers are almost always sitting in the justification. Read the preamble to any proposed rule and you'll see exactly which statistics OSHA used to aim at your industry.

What do recent OSHA updates mean for your written safety program?

Every major rule change reaches into your written safety program. A written program isn't a formality. Under several standards it's a legal requirement, full stop. Lockout/tagout (29 CFR 1910.147) requires a written energy control program. Hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires a written hazard communication program. Respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134) requires a written respiratory protection program.

The proposed heat rule, if it finalizes, adds a written heat illness prevention plan to that list. Right now, running one voluntarily strengthens your General Duty Clause defense.

The electronic recordkeeping update doesn't demand a new written program, but it does demand that your recordkeeping is accurate and current. If your injury and illness logs have been spotty or inconsistent, they're now potentially public record the moment you submit them. Clean up your recordkeeping before your next submission.

The walkaround change doesn't require a written program either, but it argues for a documented inspection-readiness review. Know what your facility looks like to an outside set of eyes. Fix the obvious hazards. Train your supervisors on how to respond the day an inspector walks in.

Want to see what a complete, standards-based written safety program looks like for your industry? SafetyFolio's safety program generator builds one for your operations in about 15 minutes, covering the written programs your specific CFR standards require.

For OSHA 30 certified supervisors and managers, staying current on rule changes is part of the point of the training. The catch: most OSHA 30 courses cover foundational standards but don't update themselves when rules change. Treat the certification as a floor, not a ceiling.

Frequently asked questions

What is OSHA's current penalty for a serious violation in 2025?

The maximum penalty for a serious OSHA violation is $16,550 per violation as of January 2025, adjusted for inflation under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act. Small employers with fewer than 250 employees may qualify for up to a 60 percent reduction through OSHA's informal penalty policy. Willful or repeat violations carry a maximum of $165,514 per violation.

Is OSHA's heat rule in effect right now?

No federal heat standard is in effect yet as of mid-2025. OSHA published a proposed rule in August 2024, but the rulemaking is ongoing. OSHA's National Emphasis Program on heat, active since April 2022, lets inspectors cite heat hazards under the General Duty Clause today. California, Washington, and several other state plan states already have mandatory heat standards on the books.

Who has to submit electronic OSHA records in 2025?

Establishments with 100 or more employees in high-hazard NAICS codes must submit their OSHA 300 log and 301 incident reports electronically by March 2 each year. Establishments with 20 to 99 employees in high-hazard industries submit only the 300A Annual Summary. Employers with fewer than 20 employees are generally exempt. Submissions go through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application at injurytracking.osha.gov.

What changed with the OSHA walkaround rule?

Effective May 31, 2024, workers can designate any third-party representative, including a union organizer or community advocate, to accompany an OSHA compliance officer during a walkaround inspection, even at non-union workplaces. Third-party access used to be limited to cases the compliance officer deemed necessary. The compliance officer can still remove a representative who disrupts the inspection.

What are the most cited OSHA standards in 2024?

OSHA's FY2024 top-10 list includes fall protection in construction (29 CFR 1926.502), hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200), respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134), ladders (29 CFR 1926.1053), scaffolding (29 CFR 1926.451), lockout/tagout (29 CFR 1910.147), powered industrial trucks (29 CFR 1910.178), fall protection training, eye and face protection, and machine guarding. The list has stayed largely stable for a decade.

How does OSHA notify employers about rule changes?

OSHA publishes all proposed and final rules in the Federal Register. It also sends updates through its free QuickTakes biweekly newsletter, issues press releases on osha.gov, and posts compliance guidance online. You can track active rulemakings on reginfo.gov through the Unified Regulatory Agenda, which lists every federal agency's pipeline with current status.

Do OSHA changes apply the same way in state plan states?

No. The 26 states and territories with OSHA-approved state plans can run stricter standards than federal OSHA. State plans must adopt a new federal standard within six months or already have an equivalent one in place. California has had a mandatory heat illness prevention rule for outdoor workers since 2005, nearly two decades before the federal proposal. Always check your state's specific requirements.

What is a National Emphasis Program and how does it affect my business?

A National Emphasis Program directs OSHA compliance officers to run proactive, programmed inspections in specific industries or on specific hazards, without needing a complaint or incident to trigger the visit. Active NEPs cover warehousing and distribution, heat illness, and others. If your industry is covered, you can draw an inspection with no prior complaints. Check OSHA's NEP list at osha.gov.

What written safety programs does OSHA legally require?

Several OSHA standards explicitly require a written program, including lockout/tagout (29 CFR 1910.147), hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200), respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134), bloodborne pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030), personal protective equipment (29 CFR 1910.132), and the emergency action plan standard (29 CFR 1910.38). The proposed heat rule would add a heat illness prevention plan to this list if finalized.

Has OSHA changed its recordkeeping thresholds recently?

The thresholds for which injuries are recordable under 29 CFR 1904 have not changed recently. What changed in January 2024 is the electronic submission requirement: employers with 100 or more employees in high-hazard industries now submit their full 300 log and 301 forms, on top of the 300A summary. OSHA publishes this data, making individual establishment injury records publicly searchable.

What is OSHA doing about workplace violence?

OSHA has been developing a workplace violence prevention standard specifically for healthcare and social services since 2016. As of mid-2025, a proposed rule has not been published, though it has been anticipated for several years. Meanwhile, OSHA enforces workplace violence hazards in healthcare under the General Duty Clause and its 2015 guidelines. BLS data show healthcare workers face workplace violence injury rates roughly five times the private-industry average.

How do OSHA penalty increases affect small businesses differently than large ones?

OSHA's penalty policy offers discounts up to 60 percent for employers with fewer than 250 employees and fewer than 10 workers at the cited establishment. Good faith and a clean history can cut penalties further. But even at maximum reduction, a willful violation can top $66,000 for a small employer. The structure means small businesses gain most from preventing citations, not from negotiating them down after the fact.

Where can I find OSHA's current rulemaking agenda?

The Unified Regulatory Agenda at reginfo.gov lists every active OSHA rulemaking with its current status, regulatory identifier number (RIN), and projected timeline. OSHA's section sits under the Department of Labor. It updates twice yearly. You can also check OSHA's own rulemaking page at osha.gov for summaries of active, completed, and withdrawn rulemakings with links to Federal Register documents.

What should I do today to prepare for OSHA's proposed heat rule?

Even before the rule is final, put its core elements in place: provide one quart of cool water per worker per hour in hot conditions, ensure access to shade or cool rest areas, run a seven-day acclimatization schedule for new workers in heat, and name someone responsible for monitoring heat conditions. Document all of it. This protects you under the General Duty Clause today and sets up easy compliance when the rule finalizes.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: OSHA's authority to set and enforce workplace safety standards derives from the OSH Act of 1970
2. OSHA, Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule, Federal Register August 30, 2024: OSHA published a proposed heat illness prevention rule on August 30, 2024, and has an active National Emphasis Program on heat hazards since April 2022
3. OSHA, Civil Penalty Adjustments for 2025: Maximum serious violation penalty is $16,550 per violation and willful/repeat maximum is $165,514 as of January 2025
4. OSHA, Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule (29 CFR 1904), effective January 1, 2024: Establishments with 100 or more employees in high-hazard NAICS codes must electronically submit 300 log and 301 incident reports annually beginning with 2023 data
5. OSHA, Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process final rule (29 CFR 1903.8), effective May 31, 2024: Workers may designate any third-party representative, including non-technical community advocates, to accompany OSHA inspectors during walkaround inspections
6. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries 2022 and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses 2022: BLS counted 5,486 fatal work injuries in 2022, the highest since 2016; warehousing and storage had a nonfatal injury and illness rate of 5.1 per 100 FTE vs 2.7 private-industry average in 2022
7. OSHA, Commonly Used Statistics (Fatal Four in construction): The Fatal Four (falls, struck-by, caught-in/between, and electrocution) account for roughly 60 percent of construction fatalities annually
8. OSHA, Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards FY2024: Fall protection (29 CFR 1926.502) was the most cited OSHA standard in FY2024
9. OSHA, Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers (2015): Healthcare and social service workers face workplace violence injury rates roughly five times the private-industry average per OSHA's 2015 guidelines
10. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Unified Regulatory Agenda (reginfo.gov): The Unified Regulatory Agenda is the authoritative source for all active federal rulemakings, including OSHA's pipeline, updated twice yearly
11. OSHA, State Plans: 26 states and territories operate OSHA-approved state plans that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and may be stricter
12. Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 114-74, Section 701): This law requires annual inflation adjustments to civil penalty maximums for all federal agencies including OSHA, causing OSHA's serious violation maximum to rise from $7,000 in 2015 to over $16,000 by 2024