Recent preliminary numbers from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show dangers from falls at construction sites remain the most frequently cited hazard on OSHA’s list of most-cited violations for fiscal year 2026, according to Safety+Health magazine.
Other rules related to construction falls are among the top 10 violations, including ladders and scaffolds.
Following are the top 10 most-cited violations for fiscal year 2026:
- Fall protection—general requirements at 4,041 violations
- Hazard communication at 1,961 violations
- Lockout/tagout at 1,863 violations
- Scaffolding at 1,725 violations
- Ladders at 1,659 violations
- Respiratory protection at 1,608 violations
- Powered industrial trucks at 1,379 violations
- Fall protection—training requirements at 1,273 violations
- Personal protective and lifesaving equipment—eye and face protection at 1,120 violations
- Machine guarding at 1,072 violations
“Fall-protection violations are often a failure to manage the job,” said Prent Cline, acting deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, during a presentation at the 2026 NSC Safety Congress & Expo. “Employers should have zero tolerance for fall-protection violations.”
Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry. Learn how to reduce roofing-related injuries and deaths with NRCA’s safety classes, Power Hours and publications.
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