The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its preliminary list of the top 10 most frequently cited safety violations at this month’s National Safety Council Congress & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of safety professionals.
The OSHA list is determined following worksite inspections throughout the fiscal year and alerts employees and safety professionals about areas of frequent citations to help prevent their occurrence. OSHA violations can cost some companies more than $1 million in penalties.
Notable among the top 10 list for 2021, companies experienced an increase in respiratory protection violations and a decrease in hazard communication and powered industrial truck violations from prior years. Fall protection remains at the top of the list for the 11th year in a row.
Top 10 OSHA Violations for Fiscal Year 2021:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements
- Respiratory Protection
- Ladders
- Scaffolding
- Hazard Communication
- Lockout/Tagout
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements
- Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection
- Powered Industrial Trucks
- Machine Guarding
While improvements were made in safety and emergency preparedness across organizations in 2020, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still many areas for improvement on the list. Frequent safety training and customized risk management programs can support operational business goals while reducing risk and making the workplace safer.
OSHA has several resources related to preventing each type of violation included with last year’s list. Learn more at OSHA.gov.
