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OROSHARecord
Violations

Repeat Violation

A violation where the employer was previously cited for the same or substantially similar hazard within the past five years.

Repeat Violation is a term from U.S. workplace-safety regulation — typically a category in OSHA enforcement, a citation classification, or a worker-protection concept under the OSH Act. The definition here is the practical worker-facing meaning. Understanding Repeat Violation is part of reading OSHA enforcement records defensibly. Citation classifications (serious, willful, repeat, other-than-serious, de minimis) carry meaningfully different implications for both employers and workers, and the worker-relevant interpretation often differs from the strict legal definition.

Each company page on OSHARecord surfaces Repeat Violation-relevant data for that specific employer, so the general definition here translates into concrete enforcement-history detail on the per-employer pages workers actually use.

What It Means

Repeat violations carry the same maximum penalty as Willful violations: up to $161,323 per violation (2026 inflation-adjusted). OSHA classifies a violation as Repeat when an employer has been cited for the same or a substantially similar condition at any of its establishments within the preceding five-year period. The previous citation must have become a final order, meaning the employer either paid the penalty, entered into a settlement, or lost a contest before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Repeat violations are a strong indicator that a company has systemic safety culture problems rather than isolated incidents. They suggest management has failed to implement corrective actions from prior inspections. Companies with high repeat violation counts frequently appear on OSHARecord's repeat offenders rankings. In the Safety Score calculation, repeat violations are combined with willful violations in the willfulRepeatViolations factor, which accounts for 25% of the total score.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Repeat Violation" mean in OSHA context?

A violation where the employer was previously cited for the same or substantially similar hazard within the past five years.

Why does Repeat Violation matter for workplace safety?

Repeat violations carry the same maximum penalty as Willful violations: up to $161,323 per violation (2026 inflation-adjusted). OSHA classifies a violation as Repeat when an employer has been cited for the same or a substantially similar condition at any of its establishments within the preceding fi...

Related Terms

Willful Violation
A violation where the employer intentionally and knowingly committed an act that violates OSHA standards with plain indifference to the law.
Serious Violation
A violation where a workplace hazard could cause death or serious physical harm and the employer knew or should have known about it.
Citation
A formal written notice issued by OSHA to an employer describing the specific violation, the standard violated, the proposed penalty, and the deadline for correction.
Abatement
The corrective action an employer must take to eliminate or control a cited workplace hazard within the timeframe specified by OSHA.

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About This Data

Definitions based on OSHA standards, the OSH Act of 1970, and federal enforcement guidance. Penalty amounts reflect 2026 inflation-adjusted maximums. See our methodology.