To ensure the safety and health of workers, OSHA conducts inspections, which may result in citations, to identify hazards in the workplace. This article outlines the top 10 most frequently-cited violations for 2023.
To ensure the safety and health of workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducts inspections, which may result in citations, to identify hazards in the workplace. An OSHA inspection is a process through which the agency evaluates a workplace to ensure compliance with federal safety and health regulations.
Although OSHA inspectors are unable to enter every workplace, these inspections are crucial in identifying workplace hazards that could potentially harm workers. If an OSHA inspector identifies a safety and health issue that violates OSHA federal law, a citation will be issued to the employer for each violation. After receiving a citation, employers must post the citation at or near the area where each violation occurred. The citation must remain posted where workers can see it for three working days or until the violation is corrected, whichever is longer. If an employer accepts the citation, OSHA will provide a date in which the violation must be adequately addressed. If not, the employer has 15 days from receiving the violation to contest.¹
Each year, OSHA publishes a list of the most commonly-cited OSHA violations from the previous year. The top citations reflect recurring safety and health concerns across various industries in the United States. These violations pertain to issues that pose significant risks to workers and that employers often overlook or fail to adequately address. The top 10 most frequently-cited OSHA violations from 2023 (Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023) include:
- Fall Protection (1926.501): 7,188 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 3,227 violations
- Ladders (1926.1053): 2,950 violations
- Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,835 violations
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,550 violations
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,539 violations
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,493 violations
- Fall Protection, Training Requirements (1926.503): 2,109 violations
- Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 2,064 violations
- Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,635 violations
The list presented above indicates that OSHA issued more citations in 2023 than in 2022. In addition, fall protection remained at the top of the list for the thirteenth year in a row.
Why is this data important?
Despite improved regulations and advancements in occupational safety and health over the years, workers are still injured on the job every day in the U.S. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers reported 2.6 million injury/illness cases in 2023.² In addition, approximately 125,000 workers are killed or suffer a life-altering injury/illness due to workplace hazards each year in the U.S. In other words, 344 occupational fatalities, injuries or illnesses occur each day, and this statistic only accounts for workplace incidents that are reported.³ Raising awareness on common workplace violations across industries may help workers identify hazards within their own workplaces and encourage reporting. Employers should use this list to evaluate their own workplace and use the hierarchy of controls to address existing workplace hazards.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Your employer is required to provide a workplace free from serious recognized hazards and comply with standards, rules and regulations issued under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. Workers have the right to report unsafe and hazardous conditions in the workplace. Remember to document unsafe or hazardous conditions that you see or report.
References
¹ Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following a Federal OSHA Inspection. (n.d.). https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/osha3000.pdf
² BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS. (2020). Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities. Www.bls.gov. https://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm
³ Reindel, R. L., & Shrestha, A. (2024, April). Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect [Review of Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect]. AFL-CIO Safety and Health Department. https://aflcio.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2411%20DOTJ%202024%20DIG%20NB%20REV.pdf
