Not all OSHA inspections are the same. Some are triggered by complaints, others by workplace accidents, and others are part of scheduled enforcement programs. This analysis examines 5,178,886 inspections, comparing recorded violation rates and penalty amounts across inspection types.
| Type | Inspections | With Violations | Violation Rate | Avg. per Penalized Viol. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planned(H) | 2,782,896 | 1,447,630 | 52.0% | $909 |
| Complaint(B) | 968,249 | 521,752 | 53.9% | $1,215 |
| Referral(C) | 392,128 | 250,108 | 63.8% | $2,163 |
| Follow-Up(F) | 316,787 | 27,731 | 8.8% | $2,268 |
| Unprogrammed Related(G) | 237,291 | 120,347 | 50.7% | $1,249 |
| Programmed Related(I) | 199,610 | 102,439 | 51.3% | $1,316 |
| Accident(A) | 195,942 | 114,320 | 58.3% | $2,405 |
| Fatality/Catastrophe(M) | 28,096 | 15,489 | 55.1% | $7,619 |
| Monitoring(D) | 18,300 | 1,566 | 8.6% | $3,103 |
| Programmed Other(K) | 17,167 | 7,767 | 45.2% | $1,856 |
| Unprogrammed Other(J) | 11,169 | 2,339 | 20.9% | $3,142 |
| Other(L) | 9,253 | 2,764 | 29.9% | $1,151 |
| Unprogrammed Emphasis(N) | 1,459 | 266 | 18.2% | $4,389 |
| Variance(E) | 528 | 76 | 14.4% | $1,638 |
| Type | Inspections | Total Penalties | Penalty per Inspection (All) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fatality/Catastrophe(M) | 28,096 | $291,373,519 | $10,371 |
| Accident(A) | 195,942 | $641,241,706 | $3,273 |
| Referral(C) | 392,128 | $1,131,770,673 | $2,886 |
| Unprogrammed Emphasis(N) | 1,459 | $2,427,156 | $1,664 |
| Programmed Other(K) | 17,167 | $24,790,750 | $1,444 |
| Complaint(B) | 968,249 | $1,364,313,474 | $1,409 |
| Unprogrammed Related(G) | 237,291 | $254,298,705 | $1,072 |
| Unprogrammed Other(J) | 11,169 | $11,739,135 | $1,051 |
| Programmed Related(I) | 199,610 | $200,987,581 | $1,007 |
| Planned(H) | 2,782,896 | $2,185,624,222 | $785 |
| Variance(E) | 528 | $183,435 | $347 |
| Monitoring(D) | 18,300 | $6,292,254 | $344 |
| Follow-Up(F) | 316,787 | $104,569,556 | $330 |
| Other(L) | 9,253 | $2,772,337 | $300 |
Penalty amounts vary by inspection type. Fatality/Catastrophe inspections recorded the highest average penalty per inspection at $10,371 based on 28,096 inspections in this dataset.
Violation rates vary by inspection type. The overall violation rate is 50.5%. An inspection does not by itself indicate that a workplace is unsafe.
Data covers 14 inspection types. See the tables above for violation rates and penalty amounts by type.
This analysis covers all OSHA inspections in our database. An inspection is counted as "with violations" if at least one non-deleted violation record is linked to it in the enforcement database. Violation rates are descriptive: they show what percentage of inspections of each type had violations recorded, not how effective any inspection type is at detecting hazards.
This page shows two different penalty averages. The main table shows the average penalty per penalized violation: total penalty dollars divided by the number of violations that had a penalty greater than $0. The lower table shows the penalty per inspection across all inspections of that type: total penalty dollars divided by the total number of inspections, including those that resulted in no violations. All penalty amounts reflect the latest amount on record (current_penalty), which may still be subject to change for cases without a final order date.
Inspection types with fewer than 100 inspections are excluded from the main table; the penalty table uses a threshold of 50 inspections. Inspection type codes A through L follow standard OSHA definitions. Records reflect all inspection activity entries in the OSHA database, including records where an inspection may not have resulted in a full site visit. Data sourced from the OSHA inspection and violation tables in the U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data API. Records are synced daily.
Data Source and Methodology
Data synced dailyData on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA enforcement database, accessed via the DOL public data API. Records are updated daily. We strive for accuracy, but errors in data processing or establishment grouping are possible. Penalty amounts reflect the latest penalty amounts on record in the DOL database and may differ from initial assessments or final amounts after informal conference, settlement, or judicial review. Company pages group inspection records by normalized employer name, city, and state as reported in OSHA records. That grouping is deterministic and non-fuzzy, but it is not a universal legal-entity identifier. If you believe any record is inaccurate, please report it and we will investigate. This product uses the DOL Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the DOL. For official and authoritative records, visit osha.gov.
