Fall protection violations carry a $40.8 million price tag

by anthony_capkun_2 | 23 September 2026 9:44 am

Speaker addresses a large audience from a podium during a workplace safety presentation at a conference. — Prentice Cline, acting deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, highlights the top hazards that continue to put workers at risk at the National Safety Council’s 2026 Safety Congress & Expo.

Preliminary data based on OSHA inspections conducted during fiscal year 2026 show that fall protection violations continue to dwarf all other workplace safety violations … and they are costing employers millions.

OSHA’s annual Top 10 most frequently cited standards were unveiled during the National Safety Council’s[2] 2026 Safety Congress & Expo. The goal is to help employers identify persistent workplace hazards, prioritize improvements, and strengthen safety programs.

The Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards, listed by number of violations:

– 4,041 – Fall Protection – General Requirements
– 1,961 – Hazard Communication
– 1,863 – Lockout/Tagout
– 1,725 – Scaffolding
– 1,659 – Ladders
– 1,608 – Respiratory Protection
– 1,379 – Powered Industrial Trucks
– 1,273 – Fall Protection – Training Requirements
– 1,120 – Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection
– 1,072 – Machine Guarding

“Year after year, the OSHA Top 10 reminds us how pervasive preventable workplace hazards remain,” said NSC CEO Lorraine Martin. “Employers should use these findings to evaluate their workplaces, install critical safeguards, and implement proven solutions that help protect workers and save lives.”

The cost to employers

In OSHA’s 2025 fiscal year, violations cited to Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors of any size (NAICS Code 2381) totaled a whopping $80,686,128.

One fall-protection standard accounted for more than half the penalties assessed across the entire contractor category: Duty to have Fall Protection, $40,783,225.

But the violations associated with fall protection don’t stop there.

Fall protection systems criteria and practices violations cost Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors $1,537,595, while fall protection training violations added another $4,095,070 in penalties.

According to an NSC analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls alone resulted in 844 deaths in 2024.

“Every workplace fatality represents a person who should have returned home safely at the end of the day,” said Martin, adding that employers can protect their workers and save lives by learning from these incidents and acting before tragedy occurs.

And, for curiosity’s sake, issues with ladders cost contractors $8,514,502, while basic PPE violations (eye, face, head) cost $8,403,413 – Ed.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/OSHA-Prentice-Cline-at-NSC-2026-800.jpg
National Safety Council’s: https://www.nsc.org/

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