Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that as recently as 2019, 5,333 workers died on the job in the United States and millions more were injured or developed illnesses. To protect workers, OSHA regulations cover a wide range of potential hazards. These hazards can imperil worker health and safety, and by law, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.
To help improve workplace safety each year, OSHA releases a list of the 10 most frequently cited safety and health violations for the fiscal year. The list is compiled from tens of thousands of workplace inspections conducted by OSHA staff. For 2021, fall protection was the most-cited standard for the 11th year in a row.
The preliminary list of OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards for fiscal year 2021 are as follows:
1. Fall Protection - General Requirements (5,295 violations)
2. Respiratory Protection (2,527 violations)
3. Ladders (2,026 violations)
4. Scaffolding (1,948 violations)
5. Hazard Communication (1,947 violations)
6. Lockout/Tagout (1,698 violations)
7. Fall Protection - Training Requirements (1,666 violations)
8. Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1,452 violations)
9. Powered Industrial Trucks (1,420 violations)
10. Machine Guarding (1,113 violations)
After years of releasing the Top 10 list, it unfortunately changes little year-to-year. OSHA urges employers to go beyond the minimal requirements to create a culture of safety at work, which has been shown to reduce costs, raise productivity and improve morale.
These are just a few things to know about the top 10 list of OSHA citations for 2021. To learn more about this or other occupational, industrial hygiene, health, safety or environmental issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that as recently as 2019, 5,333 workers died on the job in the United States and millions more were injured or developed illnesses. To protect workers, OSHA regulations cover a wide range of potential hazards. These hazards can imperil worker health and safety, and by law, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.
To help improve workplace safety each year, OSHA releases a list of the 10 most frequently cited safety and health violations for the fiscal year. The list is compiled from tens of thousands of workplace inspections conducted by OSHA staff. For 2021, fall protection was the most-cited standard for the 11th year in a row.
The preliminary list of OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards for fiscal year 2021 are as follows:
1. Fall Protection - General Requirements (5,295 violations)
2. Respiratory Protection (2,527 violations)
3. Ladders (2,026 violations)
4. Scaffolding (1,948 violations)
5. Hazard Communication (1,947 violations)
6. Lockout/Tagout (1,698 violations)
7. Fall Protection - Training Requirements (1,666 violations)
8. Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1,452 violations)
9. Powered Industrial Trucks (1,420 violations)
10. Machine Guarding (1,113 violations)
After years of releasing the Top 10 list, it unfortunately changes little year-to-year. OSHA urges employers to go beyond the minimal requirements to create a culture of safety at work, which has been shown to reduce costs, raise productivity and improve morale.
These are just a few things to know about the top 10 list of OSHA citations for 2021. To learn more about this or other occupational, industrial hygiene, health, safety or environmental issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com










