OSHA Enforcement Glossary
Key terms used in OSHA, MSHA, and DOL enforcement data.
OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the US Department of Labor. OSHA sets and enforces workplace safety standards, conducts inspections, issues citations, and assesses penalties for violations. Established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
MSHA
The Mine Safety and Health Administration. Like OSHA for general industry, MSHA enforces safety and health standards at mines — surface and underground, coal and metal/nonmetal. MSHA operates under the Mine Act of 1977.
WHD (Wage and Hour Division)
The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor enforces federal minimum wage, overtime, child labor, and family leave laws. When violations are found, WHD requires employers to pay back wages to affected workers.
CFR (Code of Federal Regulations)
The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of permanent federal agency rules. OSHA standards are found in Title 29 of the CFR — Part 1910 for general industry, Part 1926 for construction, Part 1915 for shipyard employment.
Citation Types
Issued when an employer intentionally and knowingly violates a standard, or acts with plain indifference to employee safety. Maximum penalty: $156,259 per violation. Criminal referral possible if a fatality occurred.
Issued when an employer has been cited for the same or substantially similar condition within the past 5 years. Penalties can be up to 10x the maximum for the underlying citation type.
Issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazardous condition, and the employer knew or should have known about it. Maximum penalty: $15,625.
Issued for violations directly related to job safety/health, but not likely to cause death or serious harm. Maximum penalty: $15,625.
NAICS / SIC
NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) is the standard for classifying business establishments by industry. SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) is the older system it replaced. OSHA uses both in enforcement data — NAICS in recent records, SIC in older ones.
Abatement
The correction of a cited hazard. When OSHA issues a citation, it sets an abatement date by which the employer must fix the problem and submit documentation. Failure to abate by the deadline can result in additional penalties.
Contest / Contested
Employers may contest (formally dispute) an OSHA citation, penalty amount, or abatement period within 15 working days of receiving the citation. Contested cases go to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC). The "initial penalty" is what OSHA first assessed; the "current penalty" reflects any changes after contest resolution.
Activity Number
OSHA's unique identifier for each inspection. Also called the case ID. Use it to cross-reference inspections in OSHA's public data.