Article 992 of Mexico's Federal Labor Law (Ley Federal del Trabajo, or LFT) contains the sentence that sets the scale of STPS fines in Mexico: when a single act or omission affects several workers, a fine is imposed for each affected worker. STPS is Mexico's federal labor ministry, and on a production floor that one rule turns a training gap on a single crew into a multiple of the base fine. If you run a plant in San Luis Potosí for a parent company abroad, that is the line to read twice.
How much are STPS fines in Mexico in 2026?
Fines are written in UMA, Mexico's daily unit of measure for fines, and converted to pesos with the UMA in force when the violation is committed (LFT Art. 992). The 2026 UMA is MXN 117.31 per day (DOF, Mexico's official gazette, January 9, 2026) and took effect on February 1. These are the provisions a manufacturing plant runs into most often:
| LFT article | Violation | Range in UMA | MXN at the 2026 UMA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 994, sec. IV | Failing to train workers (Art. 132, sec. XV) | 250 to 5,000 | 29,327.50 to 586,550 |
| Art. 994, sec. V | Not following safety and health standards | 250 to 5,000 | 29,327.50 to 586,550 |
| Art. 1004-A | Not allowing an inspection | 250 to 5,000 | 29,327.50 to 586,550 |
| Art. 1004-C | Subcontracting personnel or using specialized services without REPSE | 2,000 to 50,000 | 234,620 to 5,865,500 |
| Art. 1002 | Other violations with no specific fine | 50 to 5,000 | 5,865.50 to 586,550 |
Federal Labor Law, last amended DOF May 14, 2026. The authority sets the final amount inside each range.
The safety standards behind section V are NOMs (Normas Oficiales Mexicanas), Mexico's mandatory technical standards, and Article 132, section XVI, requires employers to run their workplaces according to them. Two that matter on most plant floors are NOM-006-STPS-2023 for forklifts, which replaced NOM-006-STPS-2014, and NOM-009-STPS-2011 for work at heights.
Why the fine is counted per affected worker
Take a maintenance crew of 15 people who run aerial lifts on the night shift. NOM-009-STPS-2011 requires written authorization for anyone working at height and a medical exam at least once a year (section 5.10 for the exam). If none of the 15 has either on file, the legal range for that one finding looks like this:
- Minimum: 15 × MXN 29,327.50 = MXN 439,912.50
- Maximum: 15 × MXN 586,550 = MXN 8,798,250
Calculated with LFT Arts. 992 and 994 and the 2026 UMA.
Article 992 also says that when one act or omission breaks several provisions, each one is sanctioned separately. If the same crew has no training records either, that is a second finding with its own per-worker count. Headcount exposed to a single gap is what turns a modest fine into a budget line.
Repeat violations and what sets the final amount
Article 992 lists five factors for setting the amount: intent, the gravity of the violation, the damage caused or that could have been caused, the offender's economic capacity, and repeat offenses. A repeat offense is a new violation of the same provision within two years of the inspection report that recorded the first one, unless that finding was overturned, and it doubles the previous fine.
The law also builds in a deadline to correct: under Article 512-D, if the ordered changes are not made in time, STPS issues the sanction and warns of a larger one for the next deadline. The corrective order with a deadline is the cheapest point at which to close an inspection.
Imminent danger works differently. With approval from the federal inspection directorate, an inspector can restrict access to a risk area or limit its operation (Art. 541, sec. VI Bis), and STPS then has 72 hours to lift or extend the restriction, separate from any fine (Art. 512-D Bis). A restricted area on the production floor can cost more in lost output than the fine itself.
What do STPS inspectors ask to see at a plant?
Inspectors ask for the evidence each applicable standard requires. In a plant with forklifts, aerial lifts and confined spaces, that file includes:
- DC-3 records, Mexico's official proof of training (LFT Art. 153-V), issued within 20 business days (STPS training agreement, DOF June 14, 2013, Art. 24) and reported within 60 business days through SIRCE, the STPS online training registry; that report replaced the DC-4 form (DOF April 4, 2025).
- Forklift refresher training at least every 2 years (NOM-006-STPS-2023, section 10.4).
- Written authorization and a yearly medical exam for work at heights (NOM-009-STPS-2011).
- Confined space refresher training at least once a year (NOM-033-STPS-2015, section 11.6).
- A safety and health diagnosis and annual program, run by an internal or external person in charge (NOM-030-STPS-2009, section 4.1).
When a NOM calls for a DC-3, that is the document to have on file, whatever your global training system shows; our DC-3 safety training for plant crews issues one per participant.
Turning an inspector away has its own article, 1004-A: the authority demands the information on notice that it will presume it does not exist, and the refusal itself carries 250 to 5,000 UMA. Refusing entry adds a fine of its own and leaves the presumption working against you.
Contractors without REPSE: a fine for the client too
Mexico's labor law bans subcontracting personnel (Art. 12). It allows outsourcing only of specialized services or works outside the client's corporate purpose and main business activity, and only to a contractor listed in REPSE, the STPS public registry (Arts. 13 and 15). Article 1004-C fines a violation with 2,000 to 50,000 UMA, and its second paragraph applies the same fine to the company that benefits.
For a foreign-owned plant, the question comes up with every cleaning, maintenance, security or training vendor that works on site. Check the registration and the registered activity, since each registry entry lists the activities it covers. SIISA Consultores, for example, holds REPSE folio 325941, valid through August 7, 2028, for industrial training. A contractor's registry status becomes your plant's exposure the moment it is missing.
Reading STPS fines with an OSHA background
If you have managed a US site, one reference helps, as general context only: under the US Occupational Safety and Health Act, penalties are assessed per violation and weighed against business size, gravity, good faith and history (29 U.S.C. 666(j)). The Mexican factors read similarly, but the two systems are separate, and the LFT adds the per-worker count on top.
The unit differs too: the peso amount follows the UMA in force on the day of the violation. Treat the UMA range as a planning band, because the authority sets the final figure inside it.
A fine is also only one line of the cost of a serious accident. The other is payroll, through the premium charged by IMSS, the Mexican Social Security Institute: our guide to the IMSS work risk premium and how accidents raise it covers that side, and STPS compliance consulting for plants in San Luis Potosí starts from the same evidence list an inspector uses.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the STPS fine for not training workers?
Failing to train workers carries 250 to 5,000 UMA under Article 994, section IV, of Mexico's Federal Labor Law. At the 2026 UMA of MXN 117.31, that is MXN 29,327.50 to 586,550 for each affected worker.
What does the STPS check during an inspection?
Inspectors check the evidence each applicable NOM requires, such as DC-3 training records, written authorizations, medical exams and the safety and health program. Refusing the inspection carries its own fine of 250 to 5,000 UMA, and the authority presumes the requested information does not exist (LFT Art. 1004-A).
Does the client pay if a contractor has no REPSE registration?
Yes. Article 1004-C of the Federal Labor Law fines both the provider without registration and the company that benefits from its services, with 2,000 to 50,000 UMA each. At the 2026 UMA, that is MXN 234,620 to 5,865,500.
Who can help a plant comply with STPS rules?
NOM-030-STPS-2009 allows the person in charge of preventive safety and health services to be internal or external (section 4.1). That person prepares the diagnosis and the annual program that a plant uses to correct gaps before an inspection.
