OSHA announces Top 10 Violations for 2022

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced its preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2022. The list was presented by Patrick Kapust, acting director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs, during the 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo, the world’s largest annual gathering of safety professionals.

“OSHA’s annual Top 10 list helps define trends so safety professionals can find the appropriate solutions,” said Lorraine Martin, NSC president and CEO. “Despite advancements in workplace safety, we continue to see the same types of violations each year. It’s more important than ever employers seek education and resources to keep their workers safe.”

The Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for FY 2022 are:

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 5,260 violations
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 2,424
3. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,185
4. Ladders (1926.1053): 2,143
5. Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,058
6. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 1,977
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 1,749
8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 1,556
9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,401
10. Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,370

Machine guarding remains on the list at #10. Overall, violations for Machine Guarding were up from last year. 2021 saw a record low of 1,113 citations filed.

History of Machine Guarding in the top 10 most cited violations:

Learn more about the announcment here. A more in-depth analysis of the Top 10 violations for 2022 will be published in the December edition of Safety+Health magazine, a National Safety Council publication.