OSHA's Top 10 Citations for 2022

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that as recently as 2020, there were 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in the United States and millions more were injured or developed illnesses. To protect workers, regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 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 2022, fall protection was the most-cited standard for the 12th year in a row.

The preliminary list (preliminary data from Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 6, 2022) of OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards, for fiscal year 2022, are as follows:
1. Fall Protection - General Requirements (5,260 violations)
2. Hazard Communication (2,424 violations)
3. Respiratory Protection (2,185 violations)
4. Ladders (2,143 violations)
5. Scaffolding (2,058 violations)
6. Lockout/Tagout (1,977 violations)
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1,749 violations)
8. Fall Protection - Training Requirements (1,556 violations)
9. Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1,401 violations)
10. Machine Guarding (1,370 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 of the many things to know about the top 10 list of OSHA citations for 2022. To learn more about this or other occupational, industrial hygiene, health, safety or environmental issues, please visit the websites shown below.