For the 13th year in a row, the general requirements for fall protection have been identified as the most frequently cited violation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), topping its annual list.
At the National Safety Council (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo in New Orleans, OSHA’s Region 6 Administrator Eric Harbin unveiled the top 10 safety violations for the 2023 fiscal year, spanning from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023.
Leading the list were violations related to Fall Protection-General Requirements, which recorded a total of 7,271 instances, significantly surpassing the second most cited category, Hazard Communication, which had 3,213 violations. Ladders, with 2,978 violations, and Scaffolding, with 2,859 violations, were also prominent, underscoring the critical need for safety measures in elevated work environments.
Top 10 Violations
The ranking of the top 10 violations remained largely consistent with the previous year, with only minor shifts in some categories. Notably, Respiratory Protection dropped from fourth to seventh place, while Powered Industrial Trucks moved up from seventh to fifth.
Here is the detailed breakdown of OSHA’s Top 10 Most-Cited Safety Violations for 2023:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) – 7,271 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – 3,213 violations
- Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,978 violations
- Scaffolding (1926.451) – 2,859 violations
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,561 violations
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – 2,554 violations
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 2,481 violations
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) – 2,112 violations
- Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) – 2,074 violations
- Machine Guarding (1910.212) – 1,644 violations
These categories are extensively covered in the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) examination blueprints, which offer various credentials to enhance safety expertise.
Safety Resources for Roofers
BCSP also provides a plethora of free resources to tackle workplace hazards and foster a robust safety culture. These include an extensive catalog of on-demand webinars and two podcast series, “My Big Safety Challenge,” in partnership with Dale Carnegie, and “Safety on Location.”
Through its alliance with OSHA, the BCSP remains committed to promoting safety in the workplace.
