Fall protection remains top OSHA violation

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released its preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2020.

The Top 10 violations did not change from 2019 to 2020, although some violations did change places. For example, ladders moved up one spot to number five. Respiratory protection rose from the fifth to the third spot.

Fall protection remained as the No. 1 violation for the tenth consecutive fiscal year.

The top 10 violations include:

• 1. Fall protection – general requirements: 5,424 violations
• 2. Hazard communication: 3,199 violations
• 3. Respiratory protection: 2,649 violations
• 4. Scaffolding: 2,538 violations
• 5. Ladders: 2,129 violations
• 6. Lockout/tagout: 2,065 violations
• 7. Powered industrial trucks: 1,932 violations
• 8. Fall protection – training requirements: 1,621 violations
• 9. Personal protective and lifesaving equipment – eye and face protection: 1,369 violations
• 10. Machine guarding: 1,313 violations