Important Takeaways from OSHA’s Annual Most Cited Workplace Violations List

Each year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) releases a list of the top 10 most frequently cited workplace violations. For example, fall protection, hazard communication, ladders, lockout/tagout, respiratory protection, powered industrial trucks, fall protection training, scaffolding, personal protective and lifesaving equipment (eye and face), and machine guarding comprised the list for fiscal year 2024. Year in and year out, many of the same culprits appear on OSHA’s list. Some occupational safety and health experts say this pattern is a warning sign that familiarity is breeding complacency, leaving workers at risk for continuing to sustain entirely preventable and avoidable injuries.

OSHA reports that some of the most consistently and most frequently cited violations in workplaces are fall protection, hazard communication, and issues related to scaffolding and ladders. According to advocates interviewed in an article published by occupational safety and health magazine EHS Today, OSHA’s list should not only serve as a wakeup call, but there are three other important takeaways, too. They are:

1. Repeat violations point to systemic issues that safety professionals should note. The main reason that these issues, like fall protection and hazard communication, are systemic is that they do not result from an employer’s failure to understand what the actual rules are – instead, they appear to stem from a failure to effectively implement protocols under everyday jobsite conditions. For example, an employer knows that employees working at height must use personal protective fall equipment, like harnesses or anchor points. However, fall protection has topped OSHA’s most cited list for 14 years in a row. Last year, there were more than 7,000 citations. The issue is not that employers do not know that employees need personal protective equipment and other forms of fall protection, but that they sometimes fail to provide it or fail to provide adequate training that teaches employees how to use items confidently, properly, and safely. To avoid having the same problem year after year, employers should refer to OSHA’s list to learn which crucial fundamentals need reinforcement.
2. View OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited workplace violations list as a guide to dangerous blind spots and what to better monitor. Every citation affords the opportunity to improve training, strengthen supervision, and/or equip workers more effectively, safety experts say. Employers and safety professionals should comb through their workplace’s near-miss data to identify problematic gaps and scenarios that endanger workers or have led to injury. For example, if there are issues related to hazard communication and/or lockout/tagout, identify how to better reinforce protocols in your safety education program. Another idea is to equip frontline workers with mobile tools so they can flag recurring issues while performing daily walkthroughs. Having routines and reporting options like these in place shows that safety is a priority.
3. Safety matters – and will continue to matter – no matter how the regulatory winds may blow. At this time, it is unclear what OSHA’s future will look like. No matter what the agency’s regulatory reach is, there are a few important things to remember:
   1. Financial penalties for safety and health violations are still high. A serious violation is $16,550; repeat violations can top $165,000, and:
   2. Even if federal regulations diminish, state safety and health plans will remain in place. Twenty-two states and territories employ OSHA-approved plans. Some of these even exceed current federal minimums on penalties and fines.

Were You Injured at Work? Someone at Our Firm Can Help

Employers must provide workers with a safe workplace. Doing this involves many steps, like complying with the agency’s standards, maintaining a workplace free from recognized hazards, providing personal protective equipment and training, and more. Workers’ Compensation is a type of insurance that provides medical benefits and wage replacement to workers who become ill or sustain injury in the scope of their employment.

At Galfand Berger, our attorneys have fought tirelessly on behalf of injured workers for decades. In the past 10 years alone, we have recovered over a quarter of a billion dollars for our clients. Here are just a few examples of our team’s Workers’ Compensation recoveries:

• A worker suffered paraplegic injuries after a three-story fall. He was not provided with adequate fall protection gear. Read more here: https://www.galfandberger.com/verdicts/construction-accidents/12-million-recovery-in-a-construction-accident-fall/.

• Our client suffered a scalp degloving injury after her hair was caught in an industrial machine, which was improperly guarded. Learn more about this workplace accident here: https://www.galfandberger.com/verdicts/products-liability/recovery-for-degloving-injury/.

If you were injured at work and have questions about filing a legal claim, someone at our firm can help. Contact a representative online now.

Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Galfand Berger, LLP, Representing Injured Victims Since 1947

Contact the Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation attorneys at Galfand Berger LLP today. Call us at 800-222-USWA (8792) or fill out our online form for a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading, we serve clients throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Allentown and Harrisburg.