NSC 2014: Fall Protection, Hazard Communication Repeat as OSHA’s Most Frequently Cited Standards

There was no need for a drumroll when OSHA unveiled its preliminary list of the top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2014.

Predictably, fall protection (1926.501) retained the No. 1 spot, with 6,143 violations, and hazard communication (1910.1200) retained the No. 2 spot, with 5,161 violations.

The No. 3 and No. 4 most frequently cited standards – scaffolding and respiratory protection, respectively – retained their rankings from 2013 as well.

In fact, this year’s entire top 10 list contained the same standards as last year’s list, with a few standards moving up or down.

The biggest mover was lockout/tagout (1910.147), which shifted from the No. 8 spot in 2013 to the No. 5 spot in 2014, with 2,704 violations this year.

Kyle Morrison, senior associate editor for the National Safety Council’s Safety+Health magazine, and Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, unveiled the list on the expo floor of the San Diego Convention Center during the NSC’s 2014 Congress and Expo.

“This data is a poignant reminder that there is still much room for improvement in making our workplaces safer, and that it is going to take all of us to make a difference,” National Safety Council President and CEO Deborah Hersman said.

OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards for FY 2014 are:

1. Fall protection (1926.501) – 6,143 violations
2. Hazard communication (1910.1200) – 5,161
3. Scaffolding (1926.451) – 4,029
4. Respiratory protection (1910.134) – 3,223
5. Lockout/tagout (1910.147) – 2,704
6. Powered industrial trucks (1910.178) – 2,662
7. Electrical, wiring methods (1910.305) – 2,490
8. Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,448
9. Machine guarding (1910.212) – 2,200
10. Electrical, general requirements (1910.303) – 2,056

The preliminary figures are as of Aug. 11.