OSHA’s Top 10 List of Safety Violations in 2018
March 16, 2026

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released their list of the top 10 safety violations of 2018, and though the list remains largely unchanged from previous years there is a newcomer to the list.

The data covers violations taking place between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018 and is only preliminary data, though it is expected that the ranking will not change when the final numbers are released.

The top safety violation was fall protection with 7,270 violations. Second was hazard communication with 4,552 citations, followed by scaffolds – general requirements, respiratory protection violations and lockout/tagout procedures to round out the top five.

The second half of the list included ladder violations, powered industrial trucks, fall protection – training requirements, machine guarding and finally eye and face protection which was new to the list this year. Last year’s number ten slot was electrical wiring methods.

“Knowing how workers are hurt can go a long way toward keeping them safe,” said National Safety Council President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman. “The OSHA Top 10 list calls out areas that require increased vigilance to ensure everyone goes home safely each day.”

Read more about the list and what each entails here.

Get the WCInsights Newsletter!