The time has come once again for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to release their list of the top 10 most frequently cited health and safety violations of the year. This year’s list features the same 10 citations as the previous year, with a few notable shakeups in ranking. Let’s take a look at the list below.
1. Fall Protection: Standard 1926.501 (5,914 violations)
Holding the top spot for the 15th consecutive year, fall protection continues to lead OSHA’s list. Despite years of emphasis on fall safety, violations remain high, especially in construction, roofing and related industries.
2. Hazard Communication: Standard 1910.1200 (2,546 violations)
Hazard communication continues to be the second most violated standard.
3. Ladders: Standard 1926.1053 (2,405 violations)
Ladder violations have slightly decreased from 2024 but still remain in the top three.
4. Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout): Standard 1910.147 (2,177 violations)
Control of hazardous energy violations rose one position to fourth place, surpassing respiratory protection violations.
5. Respiratory Protection: Standard 1910.134 (1,953 violations)
Respiratory protection violations saw a substantial drop from 2,470 violations in 2024, a positive sign that more workplaces are improving respiratory protection programs.
6. Fall Protection (Training Requirements): Standard 1926.503 (1,907 violations)
Training violations related to fall protection decreased slightly from 2024, but its spot on the list rose one position.
7. Scaffolding: Standard 1926.451 (1,905 violations)
Despite rising one spot from 2024, the number of scaffolding related violations has mostly remained the same.
8. Powered Industrial Trucks: Standard 1910.178 (1,826 violations)
Citations for forklifts and other powered trucks fell significantly from 2,248 in 2024. This drop suggests stronger training and vehicle inspection protocols across many facilities.
9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment: Standard 1926.102 (1,665 violations)
Citations related to personal protective and lifesaving equipment remain similar to 2024.
10. Machine Guarding: Standard 1910.212 (1,239 violations)
Machine guarding violations round out the list for the sixth consecutive year.
All categories saw a decrease in total violations from the previous fiscal year. This is an encouraging trend that points to greater awareness, better training and stronger safety management practices. Many experts agree that this progress can be attributed to improved communication between management and frontline workers, as well as a growing shift toward proactive safety programs rather than reactive fixes.
While this downward trend reflects meaningful progress in workplace safety efforts, there is still clear work to be done. Catryna Jackson, Global EHS&S Advisor at Evotix, comments, “The decline in OSHA citations is encouraging, but real progress comes when safety goes beyond compliance and becomes part of the organizational ethos. Lasting improvement happens when organizations empower their people from the front line to leadership to see safety as a shared responsibility, not just a regulatory requirement.”
The 2025 data tells a positive story of gradual improvement, but it also serves as a reminder that compliance alone doesn’t equal safety. The persistence of certain violations, particularly those related to fall protection and equipment safety, shows that while awareness is improving, effective execution remains a hurdle. Employers should continue to build resilient safety systems that go beyond rule-following and address the human and organizational factors behind these violations.
To maintain this momentum, organizations should:
Analyze past data to spot recurring issues or departments with higher citation risk
Reinforce training and refresher courses for high-risk standards like fall protection, hazard communication and lockout/tagout
Strengthen hazard assessments and ensure controls are consistently applied across the organization
Engage workers directly in identifying unsafe conditions and designing safer processes
You can access our breakdowns of OSHA’s previous Top 10 lists here:
To learn more about creating a safety management program that extends beyond compliance requirements, check out our whitepaper, Beyond Compliance: A Roadmap for Enhancing EHS Management.