Seyfarth Synopsis: The National Safety Council (NSC) released an update to its annual list of OSHA’s top ten cited standards. The list provides a starting point for employers reviewing their own safety programs. 

As in years past, the National Safety Council (NSC) updated its top ten list of most-cited OSHA regulations for 2020. As usual, the top ten list identifies fall protection, hazard communication, scaffolding, lockout/tagout (LOTO), and respiratory protection as major sources of citations. Because these top ten cited regulations remain consistent over the years, with only minor shifts among the various regulations, OSHA often focuses on hazards associated with the top ten during on-site inspections.

NSC combed through OSHA citations through 2020 and found the following to be the most-cited for Serious classifications, in Construction or General Industry:

From NSC.

NSC also analyzed at the top ten standards for willful violations:

From NSC.

Employers should use the top ten list as a reminder to emphasize these areas during new employee orientation and existing employee refresher training. Employers should also realize that OSHA will be looking for violations in these areas when they visit your worksite.