Fall protection holds top spot as most cited OSHA violation

For the ninth year in a row, fall protection is once again the top most frequently cited workplace safety violation in the United States. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Top 10 list was revealed today at the National Safety Council’s annual congress and expo in San Diego, Calif.

“Far too many preventable injuries and deaths occur on the job,” said Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “The OSHA Top 10 list is a helpful guide for understanding just how adept America’s businesses are in complying with the basic rules of workplace safety. This list should serve as a challenge for us to do better as a nation and expect more from employers. It should also serve as a catalyst for individual employees to re-commit to safety.”

Also of note is that eye and face protection, a newcomer to last year’s list, remains in the number 10 spot for this year.

Below is the complete list of the top 10 infractions and the number of times they were cited.

OSHA’s Top 10 for 2019

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements (6,010)
2. Hazard Communication (3,671)
3. Scaffolding (2,813)
4. Lockout/Tagout (2,606)
5. Respiratory Protection (2,450)
6. Ladders (2,345)
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (2,093)
8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1,773)
9. Machine Guarding (1,743)
10. Eye and Face Protection (1,411)