Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2023

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The preliminary Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2023 have been announced, and they indicate increased efforts by OSHA. This year’s OSHA top 10 list accounted for 7,624 more violations than in 2022, with increases in all 10 categories.

Although the top violations didn’t change, there was some movement within the list. Fall Protection – General Requirements remains the #1 violation for the 13th year in a row, followed by Hazard Communication and Ladders.

The list is based on data from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023. It was announced at the National Safety Council’s 2023 Safety Congress & Expo.

The Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2023

  1. Fall Protection, general requirements (1926.501) – 7,271 violations (+2,011 vs. 2022)
  2. Hazard Communication Standard, general requirements (1910.1200) – 3,213 violations (+789 vs. 2022)
  3. Ladders, construction (1926.1053) – 2,143 violations (+2,011 vs. 2022)
  4. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (1926.451) – 2,859 violations (+801 vs. 2022)
  5. Powered Industrial Trucks, general requirements (1910.178) – 2,561 violations (+812 vs. 2022)
  6. Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), general requirements (1910.147) – 2,554 violations (+577 vs. 2022)
  7. Respiratory Protection, general industry (1910.134) – 2,481 violations (+296 vs. 2022)
  8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) – 2,112 violations (+556 vs. 2022)
  9. Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) – 2,074 violations (+673 vs. 2022)
  10. Machinery and Machine Guard, general requirements (1910.212) – 1,644 violations (+274 vs. 2022)

This list shows what OSHA has been watching, which makes it a good place to start when reviewing safety needs of your business or making a safety plan. Fall Protection is clearly an area of increased focus for OSHA inspectors.

For comparison, the 2022 Top 10 were:

  1. Fall Protection, general requirements (1926.501) – 5,260 violations
  2. Hazard Communication Standard, general requirements (1910.1200) – 2,424 violations
  3. Respiratory Protection, general industry (1910.134) – 2,185 violations
  4. Ladders, construction (1926.1053) – 2,143 violations
  5. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (1926.451) – 2,058 violations
  6. Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), general requirements (1910.147) – 1,977 violations
  7. Powered Industrial Trucks, general requirements (1910.178) – 1,749 violations (+23.2% vs. 2021)
  8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) – 1,556 violations
  9. Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) – 1,401 violations
  10. Machinery and Machine Guard, general requirements (1910.212) – 1,370 violations

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