The OSHA informal conference, step by step

Updated 2026-11-15 · Sources linked below · Not legal advice

Short answer: ask the OSHA Area Office for an informal conference as soon as you receive the citation, in writing, and hold it within the 15-working-day contest period. The Area Director can reduce or withdraw penalties, reclassify items and change abatement dates, but the conference does not stop the clock: if you haven't signed an Informal Settlement Agreement by the 15th working day and still disagree, file a written Notice of Contest.

What the rules say

• Who can ask: the employer, an affected employee, or the employees' representative (29 CFR 1903.20). If you request it, affected employees or their union get a chance to take part (FOM Chapter 7).
• When: within the 15-working-day contest period, counted from the day you receive the citation, Monday to Friday excluding federal holidays. "The conference or any request for such a conference shall not operate as a stay of the 15 working day contest period" (FOM Chapter 7; 29 CFR 1903.20).
• How: by any practical means; OSHA prefers in person, but phone and video are common (FOM Chapter 7).
• What can change: Area Directors "can amend abatement dates, reclassify violations (e.g., willful to serious, serious to other-than-serious), and modify or withdraw a penalty, a citation, or a citation item where evidence is established during the informal conference" and "can negotiate the amount of proposed penalties" (FOM Chapter 8).
• What earns a reduction: OSHA's settlement guidance ties changes to the employer showing it is developing or improving a safety and health program and has abated, or committed to abate, every cited violation (FOM Chapter 8).

Step by step

1. Post the citation at or near each violation, unedited, for 3 working days or until abated, whichever is later (29 CFR 1903.16).
2. Call the Area Office listed on the citation and ask for an informal conference; follow up with a short letter or email listing the items you want to discuss.
3. Check the penalty math. Compare each serious item to the 2026 gravity scale and the size, history, good-faith and Quick-Fix factors (see our penalty reduction guide). A missing factor is the easiest point to win.
4. Fix what you can and document it: dated photos, receipts, training rosters, written programs.
5. At the conference, go item by item: what you've fixed, what you're asking for (reduction, reclassification, grouping, more time), and the evidence. The Area Director won't discuss the legal merits of your case (FOM Chapter 7).
6. Settle or contest by the deadline. Sign the Informal Settlement Agreement within the 15 working days, or file a written Notice of Contest (29 CFR 1903.17).
7. Certify abatement within 10 calendar days after each abatement date (29 CFR 1903.19).

What to bring

• The citation and your notes from the inspection
• Proof of abatement for each item
• Your written safety program, training records, safety meeting minutes
• Your employee count for the past 12 months (it sets the size reduction)
• Your OSHA history for the past five years

When to skip straight to an attorney

Willful or repeat items, items tied to a fatality or serious injury, or large total penalties. Repeat and willful citations increase future penalties, and contested cases are litigated against Department of Labor attorneys.

Sources

• 29 CFR Part 1903: Inspections, Citations and Proposed Penalties
• OSHA Field Operations Manual, Chapter 7: Post-Citation Procedures and Abatement Verification
• OSHA Field Operations Manual, Chapter 8: Settlements
• OSHA Field Operations Manual, Chapter 6: Penalties and Debt Collection (rev. July 14, 2025)