If you’re an employer in and you violate a safety regulation you are going to be looking at significantly more expensive fines than in the past.

New laws enacted by Congress that planned to increase workplace safety violations by 78 percent took effect August 1^st of this year, so fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for serious violations went from $7,000 to $12,471. Repeat violations used to have a maximum penalty of $70,000; they now will have a fine of $124,709. Fines for failing to report an injury or filing a false statement will go from $11,000 to $22,587. For a full list of adjusted fines check out the Department of Labor’s chart here.

The federal government created legislation to increase OSHA penalties so that they are on pace with inflation. It is the first time maximum penalties were increased since 1990, which is why the increase is so significant to start with. They plan to adjust the fines with inflation every year.

The new fines will apply to penalties that were issued after August 1, 2016 for violations that go back as far as November 2, 2015. There are also new fines associated with guest worker programs and hiring visa holders to displace a U.S. worker.

Hopefully the weight these new fines carry means that employers across the country will do all they can to ensure workers are in a safe environment free from hazards.