Resources · Enforcement Data
The same ten standards. Every single year.
OSHA publishes its most-cited standards annually, and the list barely moves — because the underlying failures barely move. Here's the FY2025 top ten, what each standard actually requires, and where compliance programs break down.
| Rank | Standard | Citation | Violations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fall Protection — General Requirements | 1926.501 | 5,914 |
| 2 | Hazard Communication | 1910.1200 | 2,546 |
| 3 | Ladders | 1926.1053 | 2,405 |
| 4 | Lockout/Tagout | 1910.147 | 2,177 |
| 5 | Respiratory Protection | 1910.134 | 2,077 |
| 6 | Scaffolding | 1926.451 | 1,905 |
| 7 | Fall Protection — Training | 1926.503 | 1,804 |
| 8 | Powered Industrial Trucks | 1910.178 | 1,769 |
| 9 | Eye & Face Protection | 1926.102 | 1,332 |
| 10 | Machine Guarding | 1910.212 | 1,282 |
OSHA's most-cited standards, fiscal year 2025 (source: osha.gov/top10citedstandards)
Why the list never changes
Fall protection has topped the list for over a decade; HazCom, ladders, LOTO, and respiratory protection rotate through the next positions like a carousel. The persistence isn't mysterious: these standards govern the most common exposures (heights, chemicals, machines), demand ongoing programs rather than one-time fixes, and produce violations an inspector can see from the parking lot.
The list is also a planning document. OSHA concentrates emphasis programs where citations concentrate, and inspectors walk in primed to check these ten first. A self-audit built on this list covers the majority of realistic citation risk for most employers.
Reading the list like an inspector
Notice the pairings: 1926.501 (#1) and 1926.503 (#7) are the same inspection — the unprotected edge and the training record that should have prevented it. 1910.1200 citations are usually paperwork visible in minutes: no written program, missing SDSs, unlabeled secondary containers. LOTO and machine guarding travel together on plant floors. If your program has one of each pair's violations, it very likely has the other.
Every standard on this list has a full RegLogic guide — linked below — covering what the standard requires, the specific paragraphs that generate citations, and the questions crews actually ask.
Every standard referenced here is one search away in RegLogic — start here.
Start HereFAQ
Common questions
Where does this data come from?
OSHA publishes preliminary top-ten data each fall and finalizes it at osha.gov/top10citedstandards. The FY2025 figures here reflect the finalized list.
Do these rankings apply to my industry?
The composite list skews toward construction and general industry. Your industry's profile may differ — OSHA's establishment search and industry NEP documents show what inspectors cite in your NAICS code.
What's the fastest way to reduce exposure?
Audit against the list: walk your site with the ten standards in hand (RegLogic makes each one searchable), fix what you see, and document the training and programs each standard requires.
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