Fall Protection & HazCom Top OSHA’s Most Frequently Cited for 2023
OSHA’S Top 10 Most Cited Construction Standards
Fiscal Year 2023
- Fall Protection – Should be no surprise here. For the 13th consecutive year it tops the list as the most cited standard. 1926.501 saw 7271 citations issued up from Fiscal Year 2022 which saw 5980 violations cited. Topping this list with 5087 citations is residential construction activities that failed to provided fall protection for employees. This did not include roofing that saw an additional 861 citations, another 931 citations for unprotecting leading edge and 169 for unprotected holes.
- HAZCOM – 3213 violations, again up from the 2022 numbers of 2682. 1136 citations for not having a HAZCOM program, 843 for not providing adequate training, and another 363 for not maintain copies for SDS for employees.
- Ladders – 2978 citations, up from 2471 in 2022. 1852 violations for violation of 1926.1053(b)(1) which includes when portable ladders are used for access to an upper landing surface, the ladder side rails shall extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing surface to which the ladder is used to gain access; or, when such an extension is not possible because of the ladder’s length, then the ladder shall be secured at its top to a rigid support that will not deflect, and a grasping device, such as a grab rail, shall be provided to assist employees in mounting and dismounting the ladder. In no case shall the extension be such that ladder deflection under a load would, by itself, cause the ladder to slip off its support.
- Scaffolds – 2859 citations, again up from 2285 for 2022. The most cited section is for not providing fall protection on a scaffold 10 feet of more above a lower level.
- Powered Industrial Trucks – 2561 citations up from 1922 in 2022. The most cited violation was for unsafe operation with 606 citations with another 336 for failing to provided refresher training and evaluation.
- Lockout/Tagout – 2554 citations, up from the 2022 fiscal year number of 2175 violations. 730 violations for failing energy control procedures.
- Respiratory Protection – 2481 violations which is up only slightly from 2430 violations if 2022. 505 violations for the employer failing to provide medical evaluation and another 359 for failing to provided fit testing for employees.
- Fall Protection Training – Fall protection again raises it’s ugly head with 2112 violations up from 1778 in 2022. 1458 citations from the employer not providing a training program for employees who may be exposed to a fall and for not provided adequate training.
- Personal Protective Equipment – 2074 citations up from 1582 in 2022 with 2034 citations for ensuring the appropriate eye or face protection is being used as required.
- Machine Guarding – 1644 citations in 2023 up from the 1488 citations in 2022. 1089 citations for not protecting the operator or other employees in the area of the machine for such hazards as those created by point of operation, ignoring nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.
This information was received at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo and published in Safety and Health Magazine. To read the entire article please visit
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/24721-oshas-top-10-2023