Year after year, organizations across industries and throughout the nation fail to meet federal worker safety guidelines. And year after year, this oversight exposes laborers to needless injury or even death, opening organizations up to immense risk.
The proof of these conditions comes directly from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards list outlines the most common standard violations—and year after year, this list of frequently cited OSHA standards lists the same repeat offenders, the top 10 most wanted criminals of the compliance world.
With frightening regularity, these “usual suspects” make the list—with the only variations generally being where they are in the hierarchy of the most common OSHA violations. The prevalence of these repeat standards on this list underscores the prevalence of rule breaking, as well as the keen eye of OSHA to catch violations.
Key Takeaways:
- OSHA violations occur when an organization breaks one of OSHA’s set safety guidelines. Violations can mean broader safety issues and usually come with a large fine.
- The same 10 OSHA safety standards continually rank as the most frequently cited.
- The only difference between last year’s OSHA top ten violations list and this year’s OSHA top ten violations list is the order in which these usual suspects occurred.
- What is the most common OSHA violation? Fall Protection – General Requirements consistently tops OSHA’s Top 10 most frequently cited standards list.
- Facility and operations managers can better protect employees—and avoid associated violation costs—by focusing environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs toward these specific standards.
What Are OSHA Violations?
OSHA sets the standard for safe workplace practices—and enforces their implementation on worksites. Besides a hit to the bottom line, an accident caused by unsafe operations can also severely damage an organization’s reputation, and employees and patrons alike will lose trust that the company has their well-being in mind. OSHA’s annual list of safety violations outlines the previous fiscal year’s top 10 most frequently cited standards.
What Is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)?
Established in 1971, OSHA is a part of the US Department of Labor (DOL). They operate to ensure worker safety and health through adequate working conditions. Responsibilities include setting and enforcing safety standards, providing training and assistance to those they regulate, and more.
What Does OSHA Look For Most?
OSHA is always looking for situations that cause “imminent danger.” These are situations wherein danger is obviously present and can cause serious physical harm or immediate death to workers. The most common OSHA violations are those that threaten imminent danger.
OSHA Violations vs. Citations
An OSHA violation is the act of breaking the rule or going against the guidelines. An OSHA citation, on the other hand, is the formal notice (sent from the administration) stating that the violation has occurred; this is normally accompanied by a fine. Every year, OSHA’s top 10 violations are compiled into a list.
How to Look Up OSHA Violations in 2024
The OSHA website provides information about OSHA safety standards as well as a tool to look up inspection data so you can look up 2024 OSHA violations.
OSHA Fines: Minimums and Maximums
Those who do not follow OSHA’s guidelines can be fined up to $16,131 per violation per day. If the violation is not abated, this fine will be applied every single day beyond the abatement date—which can quickly add up. For willful or repeated violations, organizations can be charged $161,323 per violation.
OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards
So, what are 10 of the most violated OSHA standards for 2024? They are:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501):
Total Citations: 6,307 (7,271 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 1
The Fall Protection – General Requirements safety standard once again tops the list of OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards—but fewer violations in 2024 than in 2023 could be seen as a good sign of increased safety in this area. Fall Protection – General Requirements is consistently the most common OSHA violation. For more information about fall protection, see our “Is Fall Protection Your Safety Weak Spot?” blog post. - Hazard Communication (1910.1200):
Total Citations: 2,888 (3,213 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 2
Once again, the Hazard Communication OSHA safety standard was second on their top 10 most frequently cited standards list. Similarly to “Fall Protection – General Requirements,” however, there is a downward trend in violations that could be indicative of a shift toward hazard communication safety prioritization. To learn more about the requirements of this standard, see our blog about hazard communication. - Ladders (1926.1053):
Total Citations: 2,573 (2,978 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 3
The Ladders OSHA safety standard again ranks third on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards list, but also displays a downward trend in violations. To learn more about ladder safety, read our ladder rung spacing blog post. - Respiratory Protection (1910.134):
Total Citations: 2,470 (2,481 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 7
Moving up from seventh on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards for 2023, the Respiratory OSHA safety standard was fourth in 2024. While this indicates that more needs to be done to protect worker’s respiratory health, a decrease in overall violations once again displays a pivot towards safer workplace practices overall. For more respiratory protection guideline analysis, see our “Take a Deep Breath—and Maintain Respiratory Protection Compliance” blog post. - Lockout/Tagout (1910.147):
Total Citations: 2,443 (2,554 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 6
Lockout/Tagout moved up one spot since 2023, ranking fifth on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards list for 2024. Overall, though, citation amounts are declining. For more about compliance with this OSHA standard, see our “4 Essentials For Your Lockout/Tagout Program” blog post. - Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178):
Total Citations: 2,248 (2,561 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 5
Using powered industrial trucks is safer in 2024 than in 2023, as indicated by the drop of this safety standard on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards list from fifth to sixth. A drop in violations also indicates a trend in the right direction for safety. More information about powered industrial trucks safety can be found in our “Put the Safety Pedal to the Metal: Powered Industrial Trucks” blog post. - Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503):
Total Citations: 2,050 (2,112 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 8
Workers need more robust fall protection training, as evidenced by this OSHA safety standard increasing from eighth to seventh on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards from 2023 to 2024. The number of violations is decreasing, however, indicating safer fall protection training overall. For more on fall protection training safety, see our “No Train, No Gain: Fall Protection Safety” blog post. - Scaffolding (1926.451):
Total Citations: 1,873 (2,859 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 4
Scaffolding dropped from fourth on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards list for 2023. This, plus a large decrease in violations (by almost a thousand), indicates safer worksite scaffolding setups. For more information about OSHA scaffolding safety requirements, read our “Get a Firm Foothold in Scaffolding Safety” blog post. - Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102):
Total Citations: 1,873 (2,074 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 9
Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection remained the same between 2023 and 2024 on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards lists. Overall, fewer violations indicate safer practices, similar to the rest of the violations on this list. To learn more and help protect workers from eye and face hazards, read our “Envisioning a Safe Future with Eye and Face Protection” blog post. - Machine Guarding (1910.212):
Total Citations: 1,541 (1,644 in 2023)
2023 Ranking: 10
Machine Guarding remained the same between 2023 and 2024 on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards lists. As with the rest of the violations on this list, overall fewer violations indicate safer practices. Learn more about machine guarding safety guidelines with our “Stay On Guard for Machine Guarding Safety” blog post.
Partnering to Avoid OSHA Noncompliance
Clearly, there is a need for safe, compliant workplaces—as evidenced by the same usual suspects showing up on OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards list for 2024. For help ensuring safety and compliance this year and into the future, contact Triumvirate Environmental. We have a suite of services to help enable customers to achieve full and holistic compliance.
