Here’s the thing: OSHA’s “Top 10” list isn’t just theoretical, it’s a map of where most companies slip up. If you can get ahead of these, you’ve already cleared a huge share of inspection risk. Below are the 2024 top violations (FY 2024: Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024) according to OSHA, along with actionable fixes.1
Overview: What’s on the 2024 Top 10
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) — 6,307 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200) — 2,888 violations
- Ladder Safety (1926.1053) — 2,573 violations
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134) — 2,470 violations
- Lockout/Tagout (Control of Hazardous Energy, (1910.147) — 2,443 violations
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) — 2,248 violations
- Fall Protection – Training (1926.503) — 2,050 violations
- Scaffolding (1926.451) — 1,873 violations
- Personal Protective Equipment – Eye & Face Protection (1926.102) — 1,814 violations
- Machine Guarding (1910.212) — 1,541 violations
Notice how many of these relate to controls, training, and basic workplace safeguards. The good news: many fixes are simpler (though not trivial) once you know where to look.
Below is a “quick-fix checklist” for each violation. Use it as a ready reference.
1. Fall Protection – General Requirements
What OSHA expects: Safeguards (guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest systems) when workers are exposed to fall risks (e.g. six feet in construction; varied thresholds in general industry).
▶️ Common failures:
- No guardrails or toe-boards at edges, holes, or open sides
- Use of inadequate anchors or harnesses
- No fall protection system for ladder work at heights
- Employees working near unprotected edges
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Perform a hazard survey to map all elevated work areas
- Immediately add guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems in those zones
- Use certified anchor points and inspect them regularly
- Enforce a “no exception” fall protection policy for exposed work
- Keep records of inspections and corrective actions
2. Hazard Communication
What OSHA expects: Employers must inform workers of chemical hazards via labels, Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), and training.
▶️ Common failures:
- Missing or outdated SDSs
- Improper or missing labels
- Inadequate worker training
- No written hazard communication program
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Inventory all chemicals on site, verify SDSs, and file a central SDS binder (or digital repository)
- Ensure each container has a label with chemical identity and hazard warnings
- Update SDSs when supplier updates occur
- Conduct regular training refreshers for workers, including new hires
- Document the written hazard communication plan and make it accessible
3. Ladder Safety
What OSHA expects: Employers must ensure ladders are maintained, safe, and used properly.
▶️ Common failures:
- Ladder damage (bent rails, missing rungs)
- Incorrect ladder placement or misuse (e.g. not using proper angle)
- No ladder inspection program
- Using ladders for unintended purposes
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Establish a ladder inspection checklist (daily or weekly)
- Tag and remove damaged ladders from service
- Train workers on correct ladder use (angle, three‐point contact, tie‐offs)
- Use ladder safety devices (levelers, slip-resistant feet)
- When feasible, replace ladders with fixed stairs or scaffolding
4. Respiratory Protection
What OSHA expects: When airborne hazards exceed limits, employers must provide respirators, fit testing, medical evaluation, and training.
▶️ Common failures:
- No written respiratory protection program
- Missing medical evaluations or fit tests
- Incorrect respirator selection
- Poor maintenance or inspection of respirators
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Perform an exposure assessment to identify respiratory hazards
- Match respirator type to hazard (air-purifying, supplied-air, etc.)
- Develop and maintain a written respiratory protection program
- Conduct medical evaluations and fit testing before issuing respirators
- Inspect, clean, and replace respirators per manufacturer specs
5. Lockout / Tagout (Control of Hazardous Energy)
What OSHA expects: During servicing or maintenance, machines must be isolated from hazardous energy (electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, etc.) before work begins.
▶️ Common failures:
- No energy control procedures documented
- Workers bypass lockout devices
- No training or refresher training
- No auditing or program enforcement
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Develop written energy control procedures for each machine
- Train all affected workers on lockout/tagout steps
- Use standardized lockout devices and tags
- Audit compliance regularly and follow up with corrections
- Design machines with built-in energy isolation points where possible
6. Powered Industrial Trucks
What OSHA expects: Forklifts and similar equipment must be operated by qualified personnel and maintained safely.
▶️ Common failures:
- Operators without training or certification
- Poor maintenance or inspection
- Unsafe driving practices
- No designated traffic routes
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Certify and recertify operators (classroom + practical)
- Conduct pre‐shift inspections and document findings
- Develop and enforce traffic controls (signage, lane markings, speed limits)
- Prevent workers from riding on forklifts improperly
- Maintain forklifts per manufacturer specs
7. Fall Protection – Training
What OSHA expects: Employers must train workers to recognize fall hazards and understand how to use fall protection systems.
▶️ Common failures:
- Inadequate or no training
- No record of training
- Training not refreshed or updated
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Develop a fall protection training curriculum (hazard recognition, equipment use, rescue)
- Train all workers before exposure
- Conduct refresher training at regular intervals
- Keep training records, dates and attendance
- Incorporate field evaluation to show competency
8. Scaffolding
What OSHA expects: Scaffolds must be erected, used, and dismantled safely by trained personnel.
▶️ Common failures:
- Improper scaffold design or erection
- Missing guardrails or planking
- No inspections before use
- Worker misuse
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Use competent persons to design and inspect scaffolds
- Provide guardrails, midrails, and toeboards
- Inspect scaffolding daily (or when conditions change)
- Train workers in scaffold use and hazards
- Ensure scaffold load ratings are not exceeded
9. Personal Protective Equipment – Eye & Face Protection
What OSHA expects: Employers must ensure appropriate eye and face PPE when workers face hazards (flying particles, chemicals, etc.).
▶️ Common failures:
- No hazard assessment to determine PPE need
- Use of inappropriate or worn PPE
- No training on PPE use, care, or limitations
- PPE not maintained or replaced
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Perform a hazard assessment to identify eye/face risks
- Select PPE that meets ANSI/OSHA standards
- Train workers on correct usage, limitations, and care
- Inspect PPE and replace damaged units
- Enforce PPE use through supervision and audits
10. Machine Guarding
What OSHA expects: Machines with moving parts must be guarded to protect operators and other employees from hazards.
▶️ Common failures:
- Missing guards or removal of guards
- Inadequate fixed or interlocked guards
- No maintenance or inspection of guards
- Worker bypassing or disabling guards
▶️ Quick fixes:
- Inventory machines and identify moving parts needing guarding
- Install fixed, adjustable, or interlocked guards as appropriate
- Inspect guards regularly and maintain them
- Train workers to never bypass guards
- Implement lockout when guards must be removed for maintenance
Final Notes & Best Practices
- Document everything. Inspections, hazard assessments, training, audits — keep records.
- Assign accountability. Designate a safety manager or team to oversee compliance.
- Perform internal audits. Regularly walk your facility with OSHA checklists to catch issues before inspectors do.
- Stay current on penalties. As of Jan. 15, 2025, OSHA’s maximum penalties are adjusted for inflation. Serious or other-than-serious violations can incur up to $16,550 per violation; willful or repeated can go up to $165,514 per violation.2
OSHA's Top 10 is a useful guide, not a guarantee of inspection focus (inspectors also consider hazards, complaints, accidents). But from a compliance perspective, you cover a lot of ground by addressing these ten areas thoroughly.