The 10 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Violations in 2018

OSHA

OSHA

At the National Safety Council Congress & Expo on October 23, 2018, OSHA’s deputy director of Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Patrick Kapust, announced their 10 most frequently cited safety violations for their fiscal year 2018.

While the report covers general industry and construction, 5 of the top ten standards most cited this year were from the construction standards 29 CFR 1926.  The others, from 1910, cover general industry. 

#1 through #7 remained the same from 2017 to 2018. Machine Guarding and Fall Protection - Training requirements flip flopped at #8 and #9, while Eye and Face Protection took the # 10 spot from Electrical - Wiring Methods, which was #10 on last year’s list. It’s possible that OSHA’s new silica dust regulations have played a role in that increase, something that I predicted upon the release of the 2017 list.

The 5 construction standards that made this list were: Fall Protection – General Requirements, Scaffolding, Ladders, and Fall Protection – Training Requirements, and Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment - Eye and Face Protection. All but the latter were on the list last year.

Overall, each of the 9 standards that were also on last year’s list saw an increase in the number of citations.

The final report for this year is expected to be released in December.

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501)

  • 7,270 violations

2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200)  

  • 4,552 violations

3. Scaffolding (1926.451)   

  • 3,336 violations

4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134)    

  • 3,118 violations

5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)   

  • 2,944 violations

6. Ladders (1926.1053)

  • 2,812 violations

7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)

  • 2,294 violations

8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503)

  • 1,982 violations

9. Machine Guarding (1910.212)    

  • 1,972 violations

10. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment - Eye and Face Protection (1926.102)

  • 1,536 violations

More information: 2018 OSHA’s Top 10 Most Cited Violations | OSHA

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