The most frequently cited violation in 2023 has held that title for more than a decade. Concerned safety people were interested to learn about what OSHA identified as the most prevalent workplace safety concerns across all industries.
For the 13th consecutive year, Fall Protection topped the list with 7,271 violations in fiscal year 2023. Hazard communication (3,213 violations), Ladders (2,978 violations), Scaffolding (2,859 violations) and Powered industrial trucks (2,561 violations) rounded out the top five.
The full ranked list of OSHA's Top 10 Safety Violations is as follows:
1. Fall Protection - General Requirements (1926.501) - 7,271 violations
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200) - 3,213 violations
3. Ladders (1926.1053) - 2,978 violations
4. Scaffolding (1926.451) - 2,859 violations
5. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) - 2,561 violations
6. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) - 2,554 violations
7. Respiratory Protection (1910.134) - 2,481 violations
8. Fall Protection - Training Requirements (1926.503) - 2,112 violations
9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment - Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) - 2,074 violations
10. Machine Guarding (1910.212) - 1,644 violations
Understanding these violations and the associated risks is essential for creating safer workplaces and preventing accidents. Three of the four most cited OSHA standards for fiscal year 2023 are related to working at heights, including the perennial leader.
Preliminary top 10 data for the year ending Sept. 29, 2023 Fall Protection - General Requirements was the most cited standard for the 13th consecutive year, with a 23-percent increase in the number of violations compared to 2022. Citations related to Ladders ranked third and Scaffolding fourth.
Despite some changes in order, the top 10 remained the same from 2022. However, those 10 standards accounted for 20 percent more citations than in 2022. Each of the top 10 were cited more often, even Respiratory Protection, which fell from third to seventh.