NSC: Most Frequently Cited OSHA Standards

OSHA has issued 6,587 citations for violations of its scaffolding standard (1926.451), making it the most cited standard of the year, while the most willful citations 48 were issued for violations of the standard related to excavations (1926.652).

Sandy Smith

Sept. 14, 2004

2 min read

Usually, OSHA waits until the end of the year to announce the most frequently cited standards. However, as a special event at the National Safety Congress held this week in New Orleans, the agency issued a preliminary list that includes violations from Oct. 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004.

According to OSHA, the most frequently cited standards are:

(1) 1926.451 (Scaffolding-general requirements) 6,587
(2) 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication) 5,382
(3) 1926.501 (Fall Protection-general requirements) 4,091
(4) 1910.147 (Lockout/Tagout) 3,312
(5) 1910.134 (Respiratory Protection) 3,033
(6) 1910.305 (Electrical-wiring methods, components and equipment for general use) 2,465
(7) 1910.212 (Machine Guarding-general requirements) 2,441
(8) 1910.178 (Powered Industrial Trucks) 2,298
(9) 1910.219 (Mechanical Power Transmission Apparatus) 1,777
(10) 1910.303 (Electrical-general requirements) 1,770

The Top Ten standards where most "willful" violations were cited included:

(1) 1926.652 (Excavations requirements for protective systems) 48
(2) 1926.451 (Scaffolding general requirements) 44
(3) 1926.501 (Fall Protection-general requirements) 39
(4) 1910.146 (Permit-Required Confined Space) 23
(5) 1910.95 (Occupational Noise Exposure) 20
(6) 1910.147 (Lockout/Tagout) 18
(7) 1910.134 (Respiratory Protection) and 1910.269 (Electrical power generation, transmission and distribution) 15
(8) 1910.212 (Machine Guarding general requirements); 1926.651 (Excavations specific requirements); and 1926.760 (Fall Protection) 14
(9) 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication) 12
(10) 1926.453 (Aerial Lifts) 11