Contact Information

Department of Labor & Industrial Relations 830 Punchbowl Street, Suite 321 Honolulu, HI 96813 PH: (808) 586-8844 Dwight Takamine, Director of Department of Labor & Industrial Relations HIOSH (Enforcement & Consultation) 830 Punchbowl Street, Suite 423 Honolulu, HI 96813 Diantha Goo, HIOSH Administrator PH: (808) 586-9116 Consultation PH: (808) 586-9100 Accident Reporting Line PH: (808) 586-9102 Complaints - HIOSH PH: (808) 586-9092 FAX: (808) 586-9104 Email HIOSH Federal OSHA How to File a Complaint Field Office locations and telephone numbers are available on the HIOSH contacts page.

About the Hawaii State Plan

The State of Hawaii, under an agreement with OSHA, operates an occupational safety and health program in accordance with Section 18 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Hawaii's Occupational Safety and Health Plan was approved on January 4, 1974, and was certified on May 9, 1978 as having completed all specified developmental steps. On April 30, 1984 the State was granted final approval and concurrent Federal enforcement authority was relinquished under Section 18(e) of the Act. However, on September 21, 2012, the Hawaii State Plan's approval status was modified from final approval to initial approval in order to allow for concurrent Federal jurisdiction and supplementary Federal enforcement activity (77 FR 58488). This action was in response to Hawaii's request for Federal enforcement assistance during a period of program strengthening and rebuilding.

The designated agency for the administration of the Hawaii State Plan is the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR). Within the DLIR, the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH) is responsible for both enforcement and consultation programs. HIOSH is headquartered in the State capital of Honolulu.

Jurisdiction

The Hawaii State Plan applies to all private and public sector places of employment in the State, with the exception of Federal employees, the United States Postal Service (USPS), private sector maritime, and land that is under exclusive Federal jurisdiction, all of which are subject to Federal OSHA jurisdiction. See 29 CFR 1952.314.

Following the September 21, 2012 modification of the Hawaii State Plan's approval status, Federal OSHA assumed concurrent jurisdiction of private sector employment in the State and began providing enforcement activity in accordance with the terms of an Operational Status Agreement (OSA) [DOC^* - 43KB, 2 pages] between Federal OSHA and Hawaii, signed on September 21, 2012.

Additional FAQs about the modification of the Hawaii State Plan's final approval status and the OSA can be found on HIOSH's website.

Regulations and Standards

Hawaii has chosen to adopt the majority of Federal OSHA standards verbatim. However, there are some standards that, while deemed as effective as comparable federal standards, have significant differences, and there are some HIOSH standards which do not have any federal counterparts. Examples of HIOSH standards which differ from Federal OSHA standards are those for fall protection, steel erection and air contaminants. HIOSH has requirements for safety and health programs and for certification of hoisting equipment operators which have no Federal OSHA counterpart. HIOSH's standards can be found online at the Hawaii Standards Website.

HIOSH's standards are numbered in accordance with other state regulations and can be found under Title 12, Subtitle 8.

During the period of concurrent Federal jurisdiction, Federal OSHA compliance officers will be conducting inspections, in accordance with the terms of the OSA, and issuing citations and penalties pursuant to Federal standards and policies. When Hawaii conducts an inspection, HIOSH compliance officers will issue citations and penalties under Hawaii's standards and policies. Resumption of concurrent Federal jurisdiction does not impose any new compliance obligations on affected employers since standards enforced under the Hawaii State Plan are either identical to Federal standards, or more stringent.

Enforcement Programs

Information on enforcement activities including unique enforcement initiatives and local emphasis programs can be obtained online at HIOSH's website or by calling the numbers listed in the Contact Information section of this webpage.

Voluntary and Cooperative Programs

HIOSH operates the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). HIOSH also offers safety and health assistance to Hawaii's employers through a voluntary on-site consultation program. Employers interested in applying for these programs should call the phone number listed for Consultation in the Contact Information section above.

Policies and Procedures

HIOSH's program directives can be found under Guidelines on the HIOSH website.

Informal Conferences and Appeals

Informal conferences may be requested at any time during the 20 calendar day period after an employer receives a citation. HIOSH's policies regarding informal conferences can be found in their FOM [PDF - 57 KB]. Federal OSHA's policies regarding informal conferences can be found in Chapter 7 of the Federal FOM.

The Hawaii Labor Relations Board hears and decides appeals of citations, including penalties and abatement dates, issued by the enforcement unit of HIOSH.

Princess Keelikolani Bldg.
830 Punchbowl Street #434
Honolulu, HI 96813
PH: 808 586-8610
Fax: 808 586-8613
Email The Hawaii Labor Relations Board.

For basic information about Federal OSHA enforcement, including the appeals process, please see the OSHA Inspections Fact Sheet [PDF^* - 54 KB].

Other Resources

HIOSH offers a wide variety of compliance assistance materials and services via its public internet site. There is an online audio/visual library of occupational safety and health material available to the public as well as other publications.

Disclaimer
OSHA makes every effort to ensure that the information on this page is accurate and up to date, but changes in state law and procedures affecting the information on this page are beyond OSHA's control. Contact state program staff directly to verify important information.

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2244 for assistance accessing DOC and PDF materials.

^*These files are provided for downloading.