At the end of each federal fiscal year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration releases a list of the 10 most frequently cited safety standards violations. This year’s list was issued on October 23 and contains the following:
- Fall Protection
- Hazard Communication
- Scaffolding
- Respiratory Protection
- Lockout/Tagout
- Ladders
- Powered Industrial Trucks (forklifts, etc.)
- Fall Protection Training Requirements
- Machine Guarding
- Eye and Face Protection
The list rarely changes much from year to year. It can be used by employers to understand OSHA’s enforcement priorities. In North Carolina, which has its own state OSHA enforcement program, fall protection remains the agency’s top enforcement target. This emphasis is understandable, given the number of injuries and deaths attributable to falls in construction and other industries.