A deep dive into OSHA's top five cited standards
OSHA's annual list of the top ten most frequently cited federal standards provides valuable insights into the agency's enforcement focus during the previous fiscal year as well as guidance on how to reduce risk and improve compliance. Below is an examination of the top five cited standards.
If your industry is not listed here, or you're located in a state with a State Plan, or you would like to view a complete list of inspections, citations, and penalties for your industry, there is a tool on the OSHA website. If your facility is inspected, there's a very good chance it will include these issues. Employers can also search and view the industry profile for violations of any specific OSHA standard.
- Fall Protection - General Requirements (1926.501): 7,271 violations
For the thirteenth consecutive year, fall protection - general requirements far and away topped OSHA's most frequently cited standards list not only overall, but also as serious and willful citations. Failure to provide adequate fall protection equipment is the most frequently cited section with seventy percent (5,087) of the violations related to Section 1926.501(b)(13): Each employee engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet or more above lower levels shall be protected by guardrail systems, safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems unless another provision in paragraph (b) of this section provides for an alternative fall protection measure.
The industries with the most citations included:- Roofing Contractors (238160)
- Framing Contractors (238130)
- Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)
- Siding Contractors (238170)
- Masonry Contractors (238140)
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 3,213 violations
This standard addresses the proper communication of chemical hazards to workers. The top two sections cited accounted for 62 percent of all violations and related to the development and implementation of a written hazard communication plan, training of employees, Safety Data Sheets, and labels. It was somewhat surprising to see Hotels and Motels at the top of the list of industries cited, but it relates to the chemicals used for cleaning the rooms and laundering and a lower awareness in the industry of OSHA requirements.
F1910.1200(e)(1) was the most frequently cited section with 1,136 violations: Employers shall develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace a written hazard communication program that at least describes how the criteria specified in paragraphs (f),(g), and (h) of this section for labels and other forms of warning, Safety Data Sheets, and employee information and training will be met.
Next was section 1910.1200(h)(1) with 843 violations: Employers shall provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area. Information and training may be designed to cover categories of hazards (e.g., flammability, carcinogenicity) or specific chemicals. Chemical-specific information must always be available through labels and Safety Data Sheets.
The industries with the most citations included:
- Hotels and Motels (excluding casino hotels)(721110)
- Masonry Contractors (238140)
- Framing Contractors (238130)
- Roofing Contractors (238160)
- General Automotive Repair (811111)
- Ladders (1926.1053): 2,978 violations
The most common violation of the ladder standard related to the use of portable ladders and side rail height, accounting for 62 percent of all violations (1,852). 1926.1053(b)(1): When portable ladders are used for access to an upper landing surface, the ladder side rails shall extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing surface to which the ladder is used to gain access; or, when such an extension is not possible because of the ladder's length, then the ladder shall be secured at its top to a rigid support that will not deflect, and a grasping device, such as a grab rail, shall be provided to assist employees in mounting and dismounting the ladder. In no case shall the extension be such that ladder deflection under a load would, by itself, cause the ladder to slip off its support.
Other common violations included using ladders for unintended purposes, such as scaffolding, bracing, or as a work platform, and using the top of a stepladder as a step.
The industries with the most citations included:- Roofing Contractors (238160)
- Framing Contractors (238130)
- Siding Contractors (238170)
- Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)
- New Single-Family Housing Construction(236115)
- Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,859 violations
The top violation under this standard related to the absence of fall protection, which had 813 violations. 1926.451(g)(1): Each employee on a scaffold more than 10 feet above a lower level shall be protected from falling to that lower level. Other common violations relate to improper scaffold platform design and construction, access, and support.
The industries with the most citations included:- Masonry Contractors (238140)
- Framing Contractors (238130)
- Siding Contractors (238170)
- Roofing Contractors (238160)
- Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,561 violations
Moving up two spots on the list, this standard covers forklifts and motorized hand trucks as well as operator training requirements. Topping the violations was section 1910.178(l)(1): Safe operation with 606 violations. Next was 1910.178(l)(4): Refresher training and evaluation with 336 violations. These were followed by violations related to missing/inadequate operator certification, no pre-operation inspection, and failure to remove unsafe trucks from service.
The industries with the most citations included:- General Warehousing and Storage (493110) and All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (326199) (tied)
- Framing Contractors (238130)
- All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (332999)
- Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers(423930)
- Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing(332312)