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October 16, 2019

Top 10 most cited OSHA standard for construction in 2019

John Bestman

Every year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) releases the Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards from the previous fiscal year. OSHA also has separate sets of standards which are enforced for the construction, agriculture, and maritime industries. Below is the Top 10 Frequently Cited OSHA Standards for Construction for the 2019 fiscal year (October 2018 through September 2019). Included are the title, standard number, the top 10 ranking from the previous year and the number of citations issued. 

The purpose of publishing the list is to inform the public of the standards which are most commonly cited. This list also allows employers to look at their own safety and health programs to ensure they are in compliance. How do your safety programs stack up against this list? Are your employees protected from these potential hazards, have you trained them properly? Do you need assistance evaluating your safety and health program? Our Minneapolis location has a dedicated loss control team of seven safety consultants with a combined 90+ years of work experience in various Health and Safety disciplines, including regulatory, manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare and construction.

  1. Fall Protection (1926.501, Duty to have fall protection).
    5,360 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #1.

  2. Scaffolds (1926.451, General requirements).
    2,366 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #2

  3. Ladders (1926.1053, Ladders)
    2,102 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #3

  4. Fall Protection (1926.503, Training requirements).
    1,592 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #4

  5. Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment (1926.102, Eye and face protection).
    1,292 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #5

  6. Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment (1926.100, Head protection).
    737 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #8

  7. General Safety and Health Provisions (1926.20, General safety and health provisions) 717 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #6

  8. Excavations (1926.651, specific excavation requirements).
    603 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #11

  9. Scaffolds (1926.453, Aerial lifts)
    Number of Citations: 603  Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #9

  10. Fall Protection (1926.502, Fall protection systems criteria and practices),
    526 Citations issued, in 2018 it ranked #10

For assistance with safety and compliance, contact your local Marsh & McLennan Agency representative.