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Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) maintained its position as OSHA’s most frequently cited worker safety and health standard in fiscal year 2022, marking its 12th straight year atop the agency’s “Top 10” list.

Here, Safety+Health presents the Top 10 data for FY 2022 (which concluded Sept. 30), the “penalty box” of the year’s largest fines, an exclusive interview with Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, and a listing of Safety+Health advertisers offering products and services to help you avoid OSHA’s Top 10 most cited violations.

This standard outlines where fall protection is required, which systems are appropriate for given situations, the proper construction and installation of safety systems, and the proper supervision of employees to prevent falls. It’s designed to protect employees on walking-working surfaces (horizontal or vertical) with an unprotected side or edge above 6 feet.

This standard addresses chemical hazards – both those chemicals produced in the workplace and those imported into the workplace. It also governs the communication of those hazards to workers.

This standard covers general requirements for all ladders.

This standard directs employers on establishing or maintaining a respiratory protection program. It lists requirements for program administration; worksite-specific procedures; respirator selection; employee training; fit testing; medical evaluation; respirator use; and respirator cleaning, maintenance and repair.

This standard covers general safety requirements for scaffolding, which should be designed by a qualified person and constructed and loaded in accordance with that design. Employers are bound to protect construction workers from falls and falling objects while working on or near scaffolding at heights of 10 feet or higher.

This standard outlines minimum performance requirements for the control of hazardous energy during servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment.

This standard covers the design, maintenance and operation of powered industrial trucks, including forklifts and motorized hand trucks. It also covers operator training requirements.

This standard addresses training requirements for employers in regard to fall protection.

This standard addresses appropriate personal protective equipment for workers exposed to eye or face hazards, such as flying particles and chemical gases or vapors.

This standard covers guarding of machinery to protect operators and other employees from hazards, including those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.

*Tables based on OSHA Information System data from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022. Data was current as of Oct. 14.

As defined by OSHA: A “serious” violation is “one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.”

Defined by OSHA: A “willful” violation is one “committed with an intentional disregard of or plain indifference to the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and requirements.”

Safety+Health advertisers offer products and services to help you avoid OSHA’s Top 10 most cited standards

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