10 Most Common OSHA Penalties and Tips to Avoid Them
Businesses can avoid costly OSHA penalties by understanding common violations and implementing proactive safety measures to protect workers.
- By Elis Enano
- Sep 12, 2024
Think of OSHA as the protector of workers' safety at work. But sometimes, businesses don't follow the safety rules, leading to OSHA violations. These violations can be serious and result in hefty fines or even legal trouble. Businesses face the challenge of keeping their workplaces safe while following all the rules. Knowing about OSHA violations helps us to understand the importance of workplace safety and how to make workplaces safer for everyone.
Let’s learn more about OSHA violations as well as the precautionary measures to avoid them.
Top Cited OSHA Violation 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 requirements (1910.134): 2,481 violations
Fall protection – training requirement (1926.503): 2,112 violations
Eye and face protection (1926.102): 2,074 violations
Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,644 violations
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Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501)
Falls are a leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, and in 2023, violations related to fall protection continued to top OSHA's list. Employers frequently failed to provide proper fall protection systems such as guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems. According to BLS, 5190 workplace injuries that led to workers' deaths were associated with elevations and falls. Common infractions included inadequate protection on elevated work surfaces, unprotected sides and edges, and improper use of fall protection equipment. Ensuring workers are equipped and trained to use these systems correctly is critical to preventing fall-related injuries and deaths.