Fall Protection Remains OSHA’s Highest Cited Standard

OSHA lists the top 10 violated standards throughout the course of FY2023.

For the 14th year in a row, Fall Protection – General Requirements has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as the most violated standard in FY2023. OSHA released the top 10 violated standards from the entire fiscal year:

Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 6,307 violations

Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 2,888

Ladders (1926.1053): 2,573

Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,470

Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,443

Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,248

Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 2,050

Scaffolding (1926.451): 1,873

Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,814

Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,541

In addition, Bureau of Labor Statistics data outlined that falls accounted for 865 workplace fatalities in 2022.

Other reported causes of death in 2022, per BLS:

  • Transportation incidents: 2,066
  • Workplace violence: 865
  • Overdose: 525
  • Exposure to electricity: 145
  • Forklift, order picker, platform truck – Powered: 73
  • Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance or cleaning: 54
  • Caught in running equipment: 35

Take a moment to read an article on this data from Safety and Health Magazine.


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