Some economists say a little inflation is a good thing.
Well, when it comes to regulatory compliance, or in
this case non-compliance, it can be a bad thing. 
 
In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Improvements Act of 2015, the Department of Labor is required to adjust penalties for inflation each year.  As a result, OSHA announced that the new penalty amounts, adjusted for inflation, as of Jan. 2, 2018. 
 
New penalties for willful and repeat violations are $129,336 per violation.  Serious, other-than-serious, and posting requirements are $12,934 per violation.  Failure to correct violations are $12,934 for each day the conditions continue.  These same penalties will be coming soon to a state program near you.  More information can be found on the OSHA web page. 

​Maximum penalties for OSHA violations are set to increase for the first time since 1990 as part of overall federal penalty adjustments mandated by Congress last year.  The increases cover penalty adjustments for several DOL agencies, including OSHA, MSHA and the Wage and Hour Division.
 
OSHA's new penalty levels will take effect after August 1st, when the maximum penalty for serious violations will rise from $7,000 to $12,471.  The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $70,000 to $124,709.  Any citations issued by OSHA after August 1st will be subject to the new penalties if the related violations occurred after November 2, 2015. 
 
State programs such as MIOSHA will be required to adjust their penalty levels accordingly.  You can read the full article and see more details on penalty categories here.