One thing you can say about workplace safety violations: companies are very consistent in their noncompliance. Every year, OSHA releases their findings of the top 10 most frequently cited violations, and for the third year in a year, it’s the exact same violations on the list. While the rankings within the Top 10 shifted slightly over the past year, the same group of violations that made the 2024 list, and the 2023 list, appear again on the 2025 list.
“While progress has been made, the consistency in citation rankings year after year signals that yesterday’s hazards are still today’s vulnerabilities,” pointed out Lorraine Martin, CEO of the National Safety Council. Martin’s remarks were made at the 2025 NSC Safety Congress & Expo in Denver, Colo. “Employers, safety professionals and communities must intensify efforts through robust training, regular hazard assessments and leadership accountability to protect workers and save lives.”
Eric Harbin, regional administrator with OSHA’s Dallas, TX, office, presented the preliminary list at the NSC Congress. The preliminary results are based on federal OSHA data; data collected from state OSHA agencies is not included in the list.
The number one violation, as it has been for many years, is again Fall Protection—General Requirements. And other violations related to construction (specifically, roofing) continue to rank high as well, such as Ladders (# 3) and Fall Protection—Training Requirements (# 6).
For comparison purposes, here are the five previous annual lists, which indicate that the wheels of safety progress sometimes turn very slowwwwwwwwwly:
Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2024
Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2023
Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2022
About the Author
Dave Blanchard
Editor-in-Chief / Senior Director of Content
During his career Dave Blanchard has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. Prior to joining Endeavor/Informa/Penton, he spent a decade covering the artificial intelligence industry. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.