Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2020

Patrick Kapust, Deputy Directory of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs recently discussed the top 10 cited safety violations for 2020. At a Feb 26, 2021 webinar ¹ he can be quoted with “Use the Top 10 as a guide for your workplace. It’s a good place to start if you don’t know where to start. Look at what OSHA is finding. Look at the things that are applicable to your particular industry as well.”

A variety of violation types are frequently cited, but one has held the top spot for a while. Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) is OSHA’s top cited violation for the 10th year running. Almost equaling the 2 ^nd and 3^rd most cited violations combined.

Of these, the most cited single violation ¹ at 3,563 violations is Fall Protection’s 1926.501(b)(13) which reads "Each employee engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected by guardrail systems, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system unless another provision in paragraph (b) of this section provides for an alternative fall protection measure.”

Top 10 Citations of 2020 Overview ²:

Fall Protection – General Requirements (29 CFR 1926.501): 5,424
Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 3,199
Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,649
Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,538
Ladders (1926.1053): 2,129
Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,065
Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 1,932
Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 1,621
Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection ( 1926.102): 1,369
Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,313