OSHA Top Violations 2021

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently reported the top 10 most cited violations for the fiscal year 2021. These citations follow inspections of worksites by federal OSHA. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the list virtually during the 2021 NSC Safety Congress & Expo, the world's largest annual gathering of safety professionals.

For the eleventh consecutive year, Fall Protection, General Requirements (1926.501) was the year’s most frequently cited standard. Respiratory Protection (1910.134) and Ladders (1926.1053) followed as second and third most cited standards, respectively.

“Falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths,” said Duane Duhamel, ISN HSE Director. “A robust and compliant fall protection program is supported with training for both Hiring Client and contractor employees.”

How ISN Can Help

ISN supports subscribing clients that aim to reduce violations with the assistance of ISNetworld tools and resources.

• Hiring Clients can access and compare contractors' OSHA Logs and data in ISNetworld, including self-reported incident and safety statistics reviewed by the ISN HSEQ Team.
• In the UK and Ireland, ISNetworld’s HSE Convictions & Enforcement Notices functionality provides information from databases for enforcement notices and convictions for contractors.
• ISN HSEQ Review and Verification Services Implementation Assessments (RAVS Plus®) analyze contractors’ policies and training to help both Hiring Clients and contractors ensure contractors address necessary regulations.
• Both Hiring Clients and contractors can record and track incidents and near misses on site in ISNetworld, conduct root cause analyses, implement corrective actions and review or close out reports.
• ISNetworld functionality and services review contractors' licenses at the company level for states and provinces requiring contractors to hold licenses for certain scopes of work.
• The Learning Management System (LMS) provides complimentary, on-demand, computer-based training material from accredited training providers to contractor employees in order to satisfy training needs and Hiring Client requirements.

If you are a subscribed Hiring Client, ask your ISN account representative for information on how our tools and subject matter experts can help your organization make every effort to reduce OSHA citations. If you are a subscribed contractor, please contact our ISN Customer Service Team.

Are you a Hiring Client and interested to learn how ISN could help you manage your contractors and reduce incidents? Request a demo of our contractor management system, ISNetworld.

OSHA Top Violations 2021

1. Fall Protection, General Requirements (1926.501)
   Failure to provide fall protection remains the top violation. Employers are required to ensure fall protection systems are in place to prevent employees from falling off overhead platforms, elevated workstations or into holes in the floor and walls.
2. Respiratory Protection (1910.134)
   Respirators protect users through the removal of contaminants from the air or by supplying clean respirable air from another source.
3. Ladders (1926.1053)
   A strong fall protection program can also support proper use of ladders.
4. Scaffolding (1926.451)
   Scaffolding is addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry, maritime and construction. A strong fall protection program can also support proper use and protections on scaffolds.
5. Hazard Communication (1910.1200)
   In order to ensure chemical safety in the workplace, information about the identities and hazards of the chemicals must be available and understandable to workers.
6. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)
   The regulation addresses preventing the release of hazardous energy while employees service and maintenance equipment.
7. Fall Protection, Training Requirements (1926.503)
   This regulation varies from the similarly named top-cited standard in that it references the training related to fall protection, including notification of hazards and documented training records. Reference our blog for information on developing strong fall protection program.
8. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment, Eye and Face Protection (1926.102)
   These violations sit at the No. 10 spot for the third year in a row. Citations for this standard are most common among roofing contractors failing to use the proper PPE.
9. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)
   Powered industrial trucks, commonly called forklifts or lift trucks, are used in many industries, primarily to move materials. Citations for this standard can result from using defective industrial trucks and failure to certify operators.
10. Machine Guarding (1910.212)
    Safeguards are essential for protecting workers from injuries from machine parts, functions and processes that may cause injury.

Most Cited Violations of 2020

1. Fall Protection, General Requirements (1926.501)
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200)
3. Scaffolding (1926.451)
4. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)
5. Respiratory Protection (1910.134)
6. Ladders (1926.1053)
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)
8. Fall Protection, Training Requirements (1926.503)
9. Machine Guarding (1910.212)
10. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment, Eye and Face Protection (1926.102)

Most Cited Violations of 2019

1. Fall Protection (1926.501)
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200)
3. Scaffolding – General Requirements (1926.451)
4. Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)
5. Respiratory Protection (1910.134)
6. Ladders (1926.1053)
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)
8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503)
9. Machine Guarding– General Requirement (1910.212)
10. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102)