Federal OSHA jurisdiction — no state plan
Louisiana does not operate an OSHA-approved state plan. Private sector employers and workers are subject to federal OSHA enforcement administered through the agency's Baton Rouge area office. State and local government workers are not covered by federal OSHA and have no equivalent state workplace safety law protecting them.
Source: OSHA State Plans
Workers' compensation insurance coverage requirement
Louisiana requires employers to secure workers' compensation coverage for employees. The Louisiana Workers' Compensation Law applies to employees in the service of the state, political subdivisions, incorporated public boards, and private employers under appointment or contract of hire. Coverage extends to full-time, part-time, seasonal, temporary, and minor employees.
Compliance methods
Employers may satisfy the coverage requirement by purchasing a policy from a private insurer authorized to sell workers' compensation insurance in Louisiana, applying to become an approved self-insured employer, or obtaining membership in an approved group self-insurance fund.
The Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation is a private, nonprofit corporation created by statute to operate as a domestic mutual insurer providing workers' compensation insurance and a residual market for Louisiana employers. The corporation is domiciled in East Baton Rouge Parish and is authorized to provide state workers' compensation insurance coverage, United States Longshore and Harbor Worker's Compensation Act coverage, and Jones Act coverage. It is not a state agency.
Exemptions
Louisiana law provides exemptions from workers' compensation coverage for:
- Uncompensated officers and uncompensated members of boards of directors of certain nonprofit organizations (La. R.S. 23:1046)
- Real estate salespersons who meet the criteria specified in La. R.S. 23:1047
Independent contractor classification
La. R.S. 23:1021(7) defines "independent contractor" to mean "any person who renders service, other than manual labor, for a specified recompense for a specified result either as a unit or as a whole, under the control of the principal as to the results of the work only, and not as to the means by which such result is accomplished." The statute expressly excludes independent contractors from coverage "unless a substantial part of the work time as an independent contractor is spent in manual labor by him in carrying out the terms of the contract, in which case the independent contractor is expressly covered by the provisions of this Chapter."
Thus, independent contractors who spend a substantial part of their work time performing manual labor are treated as employees for workers' compensation purposes and are entitled to coverage.
Owner operator exception
La. R.S. 23:1021(10) defines "owner operator" to mean a person who provides trucking transportation services under written contract to a common carrier, contract carrier, or exempt hauler, which services include the lease of equipment or a driver to the carrier or hauler. An owner operator and the drivers provided by an owner operator are not employees of the carrier or hauler for purposes of the workers' compensation statute if the owner operator has entered into a written agreement with the carrier or hauler that evidences a relationship in which the owner operator identifies itself as an independent contractor.
Penalties and enforcement
Unable to confirm specific penalty amounts for failure to secure coverage as of 2026-05-28.
Employers are required to report workplace injuries. Unable to confirm specific reporting deadlines and procedures as of 2026-05-28.
Source: La. R.S. 23:1021 (Definitions) Source: La. R.S. 23:1046 (Nonprofit officers and directors exemption) Source: La. R.S. 23:1047 (Real estate salesmen exemption) Source: La. R.S. 23:1310.3 (Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation)