OSHA has announced its preliminary list of the top 10 most frequently cited workplace standards for fiscal year 2022 (October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022). The Fall Protection Standard remains the most frequently cited OSHA standard for the 12th consecutive year, followed by Hazard Communication and Respiratory Protection. Although OSHA has not yet published the specific violations for each standard, based on their preliminary list, the top 10 most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2022 are:
1. Fall Protection- General Requirements (1926.501)─ There were 5,260 violations that, based on previous years, typically include not having adequate fall protection in residential construction, unprotected sides and edges, and lack of fall protection systems for roofing work on low-slope roofs.
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200)─ There were 2,424 violations in 2022 that have previously included lack of developing and/or implementing a written Hazard Communication Program, lack of adequate information and training, and not maintaining readily accessible SDS.
It’s noteworthy that violations of the Hazard Communication Standard increased significantly from 2021, when violations related to this standard were the 5th most frequently cited.
3. Respiratory Protection (1910.134)─ There were 2,185 violations. Based on previous data, these likely include failure to provide a medical evaluation to determine employees’ ability to use a respirator, lack of a written Respiratory Protection Program, and failure to do initial and annual fit testing.
4. Ladders (1926.1053)─ There were 2,143 violations in 2022. In previous years, these have included improper use of portable ladders, use of ladders for a purpose for which they were not designed, and using the top or top step of a stepladder as a step.
5. Scaffolding (1926.451)─ There were 2,058 violations of the standard, which have included in previous years, not providing appropriate fall protection and related violations of fall protection requirements, not providing appropriate scaffold access, and not providing adequate guardrail systems.
6. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)─ There were 1,977 violations which, based on previous data, include not developing and/or documenting energy control procedures, lack of adequate training and communication on lockout/tagout procedures, and not conducting periodic inspections of the energy control procedures at least annually to ensure they are being followed.
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)─ There were 1,749 violations in 2022. Violations of this standard often include inadequate operator training on the type of truck they will be driving, inadequate refresher training and evaluation, and trucks not being taken out of service that are in need of repair, are defective, or in any way unsafe.
8. Fall Protection- Training Requirements (1926.503)─ There were 1,556 violations in 2022 which are expected to include not providing an adequate training program for employees who might be exposed to fall hazards, not having written training certification records, and not conducting retraining.
9. Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102)─ There were 1,401 violations. In previous years, these have included not ensuring that employees are wearing adequate eye and face protection, not ensuring that employees use eye protection with side protection, and not ensuring that employees who wear prescription lenses wear eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or wear eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses.
10. Machine Guarding (1910.212)─ There were 1,370 violations that are expected to include inadequate point of operation guarding, improper anchoring of fixed machinery, and not providing proper blade guarding to prevent exposure to blades.
OSHA encourages employers to use the top 10 list of violations as a guide for identifying the most significant hazards applicable to their workplace and as a tool to increase workplace safety. This list is considered preliminary as OSHA does not generally post the final list of the top ten violations until after the first week in April.
For additional information about the top10 list, or for assistance with preventing OSHA violations in your workplace, please email us [email protected].
The preliminary list of top 10 violations is based on information presented by Patrick Kapust, Acting Director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, who presented the list during the 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
This blog with written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research & Training.
