year 2025, OSHA’s list includes fall protection, hazard communication, ladders, lockout/tagout, respiratory protection, scaffolding, fall protection training, powered industrial trucks, eye and face protection, and machine guarding. The list includes standards from both construction and general industry, demonstrating that frequently cited hazards are not limited to a single type of workplace.
Fall Protection – General Requirements (29 CFR 1926.501) remained the most frequently cited federal OSHA standard for FY 2025. Fall protection has held the number-one position for 15 consecutive years, illustrating how persistent fall hazards remain in construction.
OSHA publishes the Top 10 not simply as a ranking of violations, but to help employers recognize recurring problem areas before an OSHA inspection occurs. Reviewing these standards can help businesses identify weaknesses in their own workplaces, training, equipment, and safety programs and correct hazards before they contribute to an injury, illness, or citation.
1926.501 – Fall Protection: General Requirements
Fall Protection remains OSHA’s most frequently cited standard. Construction employees may be exposed to falls from unprotected sides and edges, roofs, holes, excavations, and other elevated work areas. Employers must evaluate fall hazards and provide required fall-protection systems and procedures.
1910.1200 – Hazard Communication
OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard requires employers to communicate information about hazardous chemicals in the workplace. Requirements include a written Hazard Communication Program, chemical labels, Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), employee information and training, and other measures for protecting workers from chemical hazards.
1926.1053 – Ladders
Ladder violations frequently involve improper setup or use, damaged ladders, inadequate access, incorrect ladder selection, and failure to extend portable ladders sufficiently above an upper landing surface. Employers should ensure ladders are properly selected, inspected, positioned, and used.
1910.147 – Lockout/Tagout: Control of Hazardous Energy
Lockout/tagout protects employees from unexpected machine or equipment startup and the release of stored energy during servicing and maintenance. Hazardous energy can include electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, and other energy sources.
1910.134 – Respiratory Protection
When employees are exposed to hazardous airborne contaminants and respiratory protection is required, employers must establish appropriate protections. OSHA requirements address respirator selection, medical evaluations, fit testing, employee training, equipment maintenance, and administration of a written Respiratory Protection Program.
1926.451 – Scaffolding
Scaffolds can expose workers to falls, falling objects, structural failure, electrical hazards, and unsafe access. OSHA scaffold requirements address capacity, construction, platforms, access, stability, inspections, fall protection, falling-object protection, and safe use.
1926.503 – Fall Protection: Training Requirements
Employers must provide required training to employees who may be exposed to fall hazards. Employees must be able to recognize fall hazards and understand the procedures, fall-protection systems, equipment, and work practices necessary to minimize those hazards.
1910.178 – Powered Industrial Trucks / Forklifts
Forklift hazards include tipovers, collisions, falling loads, struck-by incidents, and injuries to pedestrians. OSHA requirements address operator training and evaluation, equipment condition, safe operation, load handling, workplace conditions, and other powered industrial truck hazards.
1926.102 – Eye and Face Protection
Construction employees must receive appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to hazards such as flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids, caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, and potentially injurious light radiation.
1910.212 – Machine Guarding
Machine guarding protects employees from hazards created by points of operation, rotating parts, flying chips, sparks, and other moving machinery. Missing, inadequate, damaged, or improperly used guards can expose employees to crushing injuries, cuts, amputations, and entanglement.
Why OSHA’s Top 10 Matters
OSHA’s Top 10 is more than a list of commonly issued citations. It provides employers with a practical starting point for identifying recurring workplace safety problems.
Employers can use the list to review:
- Written safety programs and procedures.
- Employee safety training.
- Workplace and equipment inspections.
- Personal protective equipment.
- Hazard assessments and job safety analyses.
- Equipment maintenance and safeguards.
- Documentation and recordkeeping.
- Corrective-action procedures.
Correcting hazards before an OSHA inspection is important, but the larger goal is preventing the injuries and illnesses these standards are intended to address.
OSHA Requirements Vary by Workplace
The OSHA Top 10 should not be treated as a complete OSHA compliance checklist. Standards that apply to a particular employer depend on the company’s industry, operations, equipment, materials, employee exposures, and workplace hazards.
Employers can also review OSHA’s frequently cited standards for their specific industry using the company’s NAICS code, which can provide a more targeted picture of the standards commonly cited among similar employers.
Content acquired from FED OSHA’s Top Ten Most Frequently Cited Standards