Data last updated: September 28, 2026
Idaho OSHA recorded 15 fall protection citations over the past 12 months, with penalties averaging $4,685 and a median of $3,618. Meridian saw more of these citations than any other city in the state. Eleven of the 15 were classified Serious, two were Repeat, and two were Other-than-Serious — a mix that tells you inspectors are finding real, documented exposure to falls, not just paperwork gaps.
If you run a framing, roofing, or general construction crew in Idaho and you have just been handed a citation like this, the clock is already running. Talk to an Idaho OSHA defense attorney before you decide how to respond.
The Rule Behind Every One of These Citations: 1926.501
Every citation in this dataset traces back to one standard: 1926.501, OSHA’s baseline fall protection rule for construction. The requirement is simple to state and expensive to ignore — once a worker is exposed to a fall of six feet or more to a lower level on a construction site, the employer has to provide protection. That can mean guardrails, safety nets, or a personal fall arrest system, but it has to be one of them, actively in use, not just available in the truck. For a fuller breakdown of how the 1926.501 standard applies across different site conditions, that’s worth reviewing before you build your response.
The subsection codes attached to Idaho’s citations show how this plays out on real jobs. Several were cited under B04(i), which deals with fall protection at leading edges and similar unprotected sides during residential-style construction. Another was cited under B13, covering roofing work specifically. One citation fell under B01, the general duty language that applies when a more specific provision doesn’t already cover the hazard. These aren’t abstract code numbers — they map directly to whatever framing deck, roof edge, or open-sided floor the crew was working on when the inspector showed up.
Framing Crews Account for Most of Idaho’s Citations
Of the 15 citations, eight went to framing contractors — more than half the total. Roofing contractors picked up three, and commercial building construction accounted for two more. That concentration isn’t a coincidence. Framing work puts crews on open floor systems, walls, and roof trusses with no permanent guardrails yet in place, often early in the build before fall protection anchors are set. It’s exactly the kind of transitional, fast-moving work where a crew leader’s judgment call about whether to tie off can turn into a citation. If you supervise a crew like this, the framing contractors compliance guide covers the specific scenarios inspectors flag most often in this trade.
Roofing work carries its own version of the same problem — steep or low-slope roofs where a fall arrest system or guardrail has to be planned and rigged before the crew starts, not improvised afterward. Commercial building construction citations tend to involve larger sites with more moving parts, where a single unprotected opening or unguarded edge on one floor is enough to trigger a citation even if the rest of the site is compliant.
What These Citations Actually Cost in Idaho
The dollar figures in Idaho’s recent record range widely depending on classification and history. Edgar Construction LLC in Star was cited $13,240 for a Serious violation under 19260501 B04(i), issued July 9, 2026. Dave Evans Construction, LLC, also in Star, faced a $11,585 Serious citation under the same subsection and issue date. W G Clark Const Co in Boise was cited $5,426 for an Other-than-Serious violation under B01, issued July 22, 2026. Van Dam Construction, LLC in Middleton received a $4,256 Serious citation under B13, dated April 7, 2026. Idaho Roofing Contractors, Inc. in Meridian was cited $4,100, also Serious and under B13, issued July 1, 2026.
Notice the spread: penalties in this batch run from just over $4,000 to more than $13,000 for what OSHA still classifies at the Serious level, before you even get into Repeat violations, which carry steeper base penalties because the employer has been cited for the same type of hazard before. Idaho’s data also shows an average 20% reduction between the initial penalty OSHA proposes and the final amount actually assessed. That gap doesn’t happen automatically — it typically reflects negotiation, corrected documentation, or a formal contest process. For more detail on how penalties are calculated and where that negotiating room comes from, see this breakdown of OSHA fall protection penalty amounts.
A 20% reduction on a $13,000 citation is real money, and it’s not something you get by ignoring the citation and hoping it goes away. If you’ve received a citation anywhere near these figures, get an Idaho OSHA defense attorney to look at the specific violation code and inspection report before you respond.
The 15-Day Window You Cannot Afford to Miss
Whatever else you do after receiving a citation, mark the date it arrived. OSHA gives employers exactly 15 working days from receipt to file a Notice of Contest. Miss that window and the citation becomes a final order — the penalty, the abatement requirements, and the violation classification are locked in, with essentially no path to appeal on the merits afterward.
Within those 15 days, you have real options: negotiate an informal settlement with the area office, contest specific items while accepting others, or challenge the classification itself (Serious versus Other-than-Serious carries very different financial and record consequences). The process for doing this correctly is laid out in this guide to contesting an OSHA citation, but the short version is that the clock doesn’t pause for you to figure it out on your own.
Given how tight that deadline is, and how much a Repeat classification or an uncontested Serious citation can cost your business going forward, the smartest move is getting a lawyer who handles OSHA matters in Idaho to review your citation right away. Reach out to an Idaho OSHA defense attorney before the 15 working days run out, not after.
Pull your citation paperwork, note the exact date you received it, and count forward 15 working days — that’s your real deadline, and it’s the single most important number in this entire process.