Fall Protection again leads OSHA’s annual ‘Top 10’ list of most frequently cited standards
New Orleans — For the 13th consecutive fiscal year, Fall Protection – General Requirements is OSHA’s most frequently cited standard, the agency and Safety+Health announced Tuesday during the 2023 NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Eric Harbin, administrator of OSHA’s Dallas-based Region 6, presented the preliminary list, which represents OSHA Information System data from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 29. S+H Associate Editor Kevin Druley moderated the session.
The standards that comprise the Top 10 remained unchanged from FY 2022, with some movement within their ranking. Respiratory Protection, which ranked fourth in FY 2022, fell three spots to seventh. Powered Industrial Trucks rose two spots to round out the top five, which also featured Hazard Communication, Ladders and Scaffolding.
The list:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 7,271 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 3,213
- Ladders (1926.1053): 2,978
- Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,859
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,561
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,554
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,481
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 2,112
- Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 2,074
- Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,644
“Although incredible advancements are made in safety each year, we continue to see many of the same types of violations appear on OSHA’s Top 10 list,” NSC President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said. “As a safety community, we must come together to acknowledge these persistent trends and identify solutions to better protect workers.”
Finalized data, along with additional details and exclusive content, will be published in the December issue of S+H.
The presentation included a remembrance for Patrick Kapust, the late former deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs. Kapust, who presented Top 10 data at Congress & Expo from 2011 to 2022, died in April. He was 56.
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