What are the most common OSHA violations? The 10 most frequently cited standards, and the PPE behind four of them
OSHA publishes the list every year, and for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026, the preliminary list dated October 5, 2026) the ten most frequently cited standards across all industries are, in order: 1. fall protection, general requirements (29 CFR 1926.501); 2. hazard communication (1910.1200); 3. control of hazardous energy, lockout/tagout (1910.147); 4. scaffolding (1926.451); 5. ladders (1926.1053); 6. respiratory protection (1910.134); 7. powered industrial trucks (1910.178); 8. fall protection training (1926.503); 9. eye and face protection, construction (1926.102); 10. machine guarding (1910.212). The three most cited are therefore fall protection, hazard communication and lockout/tagout, and fall protection has held first place for more than a decade. Four of the ten are protective-equipment standards: fall protection and its training rule (harnesses, lanyards, anchors and the training to use them), respiratory protection (the written program, medical evaluations, fit testing and the respirators themselves) and eye and face protection on construction sites (Z87.1 glasses, goggles and face shields with side protection). OSHA says it publishes the list so employers can find and fix these hazards before an inspector does.
Portwest PS23 Safety Glasses, Z87.1+, Clear/Smoke, Anti-Fog/Anti-ScratchEye protection marked Z87.1+ (the ninth most cited standard is 1926.102): Portwest states the EN 166 marks beside it (Portwest data)Why the same ten keep coming back. The list is built from federal OSHA inspection data: every citation issued in the fiscal year is counted by the standard it cites, and the ten standards with the most citations are published, first as a preliminary list in the autumn and then as the final count. The order barely moves from year to year because the standards on it are the ones inspectors can check on any visit: a worker on a roof without a harness, a panel with no lockout, a scaffold without a guardrail, a ladder set at the wrong angle, a forklift operator without a training record, a respirator program with no fit test, a grinder with the guard off, a worker grinding without glasses. The PPE standards on the list share one feature: the citation is usually for the program around the equipment (no hazard assessment, no training record, no fit test, no written program) as much as for a missing item. For a buyer that means the equipment is the easy half; the assessment, the training record and the inspection routine are what the inspector asks for.
The ten standards, with what the citation is usually for
In OSHA’s order for fiscal year 2026 (preliminary), with the common failures each section is cited for.
What the list means for a safety program
- Fall protection is first and eighth: the equipment rule (1926.501) and its training rule (1926.503) are cited separately, so a crew with harnesses but no documented training is cited twice. A full-body harness, a shock-absorbing lanyard or SRL and a rated anchor are the system; the training record is the other half.
- Respiratory protection is sixth because the program is the standard: a written program, a medical evaluation before the first use, an annual fit test for every tight-fitting respirator, and Appendix D for voluntary dust-mask use. An N95 on a shelf without those is a citation, not protection.
- Eye and face protection is ninth and is the simplest to fix: Z87.1 (Z87+ for impact) eyewear with side protection for every worker exposed to flying particles, and a face shield over the glasses for grinding and splash. The employer pays; the hazard assessment names the tasks.
- The other six are not PPE at all. Hazard communication, lockout/tagout, scaffolds, ladders, forklifts and machine guarding are program and equipment standards where no protective equipment substitutes for the control; a hard hat does not fix a scaffold.
- What is not an employer responsibility: under the OSH Act section 5(b) employees must comply with the standards and the employer’s rules, and under the PPE payment rule (1910.132(h)) the employer does not have to pay for ordinary safety-toe footwear or prescription safety eyewear the worker may wear off the job, everyday clothing or weather gear, or to replace PPE the worker lost or deliberately damaged. Everything else on this list is the employer’s.
- Citations and penalties follow 29 CFR 1903 and the annual inflation adjustment; the list itself carries no penalty figures. OSHA publishes it so employers can check the ten hazards before an inspection, and the industry-specific version by NAICS code is on the same page of osha.gov.
Questions people ask
What are the 10 most common OSHA violations?
For fiscal year 2026 (preliminary, dated October 5, 2026): fall protection (1926.501), hazard communication (1910.1200), lockout/tagout (1910.147), scaffolding (1926.451), ladders (1926.1053), respiratory protection (1910.134), powered industrial trucks (1910.178), fall protection training (1926.503), eye and face protection in construction (1926.102) and machine guarding (1910.212).
What are OSHA’s 3 most cited violations?
Fall protection, general requirements (29 CFR 1926.501), hazard communication (1910.1200) and control of hazardous energy, lockout/tagout (1910.147), in that order on the fiscal year 2026 preliminary list. Fall protection has been first since 2011.
What is not an employer responsibility under OSHA?
Complying with the standards and the employer’s safety rules is the employee’s duty under section 5(b) of the OSH Act, and the PPE payment rule (1910.132(h)) excuses the employer from paying for ordinary safety-toe footwear and prescription safety eyewear the worker may wear off the job, everyday clothing, weather gear, and replacement of PPE the worker lost or intentionally damaged. Providing a workplace free of recognized hazards, the hazard assessment, the required PPE and the training are the employer’s.
What are the 5 OSHA regulations most people mean?
The ones at the top of the cited list: fall protection (1926.501), hazard communication (1910.1200), lockout/tagout (1910.147), scaffolding (1926.451) and ladders (1926.1053). The general PPE rule (1910.132), respiratory protection (1910.134) and eye and face protection (1910.133 and 1926.102) are the ones that reach protective equipment.
Which of the top 10 are PPE violations?
Four: fall protection (1926.501) and fall protection training (1926.503), respiratory protection (1910.134) and eye and face protection in construction (1926.102). In each the citation is usually for the program around the equipment (no training record, no fit test, no written program, no hazard assessment) as much as for the missing item.
What are the OSHA compliance updates for 2026?
The cited list is the one yearly publication on this page; the fiscal year 2026 preliminary list came out in October 2026 and the final count follows. Rule changes in force in 2026 are covered in the fall protection and PPE guides linked below (the construction PPE fit rule from January 2025, the fall protection dates), not on this list.
Where can I buy PPE for the standards on this list?
The band on this page shows harnesses, lanyards, kits, N95 respirators and Z87.1+ eyewear with the price on each row, and the selectors and categories linked above hold the rest of each line; we sell nationwide. The rating on the label is what the inspector reads, so each row carries the one its manufacturer publishes.
Related guides
What does PPE stand for, and what are the types of PPE?The kinds OSHA lists, by body partEmployer fall protection responsibilities1926.501, 1926.502 and 1926.503What is the OSHA 4-foot rule?General industry fall protection under 1910.28Voluntary respirator useWhat Appendix D requiresHow long can you wear an N95?Reuse and replacement under OSHAOSHA safety glasses requirementsWhat 1910.133 saysWho pays for PPE?The OSHA employer payment ruleWhat is a PPE hazard assessment?What 1910.132(d) requiresThe ratings, test results and standards shown here are the manufacturers' published values, reproduced as published. Nothing on this page is a recommendation by Bayshore Safety that any product is suitable for a particular task, hazard or workplace. Selecting safety products and protective equipment is the responsibility of the end user and the employer, based on their own hazard assessment and the regulations that apply to their work. Confirm every value on the manufacturer's own documentation before use.