OSHA Reports Top 10 Construction Violations in 2024, Drop in Trench Deaths

The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration reports an 11% drop in death investigations across all industries for fiscal year 2024, which ended September 30.

The agency also reports a large drop in trench fatalities since a record 39 deaths in 2022.

OSHA is mandated to investigate workplace fatalities for about 60% of private employers, with states that have independent federally approved safety programs handling the rest.

OSHA investigated 826 worker deaths across all industries in fiscal 2024, an 11% drop from 928 the previous fiscal year. The agency said that when eliminating Covid-related cases, the number of death investigations marked the lowest amount since 2017.

The agency says the decline is the result of greater emphasis on public outreach and enforcement, especially for falls and trench collapses, which are two of the leading causes of death in construction.

OSHA reports a 20% decline in fatal falls in construction it investigated in the past fiscal year, for a total of 189.

When combining its investigations and those from state agencies, OSHA reports a 70% reduction so far in fatal trench investigations since 2022.

In 2022, 39 workers died in trench collapses. That figure dropped to 15 in 2023. So far, there have been 12 trench deaths investigated in 2024, according to OSHA.

“These decreases follow intensive outreach and education by OSHA and industry partners, work by state plans and aggressive enforcement under a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for unprotected trenches,” the agency says, “including immediate inspections and referrals for criminal prosecution where warranted.”

Top 10 Construction Citations

Employers in the construction industry incurred 26,005 citations for a total of $119 million in penalties between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, according to OSHA data.

That marks the highest single industry category for number of citations and penalty totals.

Here’s a look at the top 10 construction standards for which OSHA issued citations during the 2024 fiscal year:

1. Duty to have fall protection – 6,557 citations, $48 million penalties.
2. Ladders – 2,681 citations, $9.5 million penalties.
3. Training requirements (fall hazards) – 2,135 citations, $4.7 million penalties.
4. Eye and face protection – 1,873 citations, $7 million.
5. General requirements (scaffolding) – 1,835 citations, $6.7 million penalties.
6. General safety and health provisions – Employees cannot be required to work in conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous or dangerous to their health or safety. Employers are responsible for preventing accidents, which includes providing personal protective equipment and training.  982 citations, $4.2 million.
7. Head protection – 766 citations, $2.4 million penalties.
8. Abatement verification – Abatement means action by an employer to comply with a cited standard or eliminate a hazard identified during an inspection. 662 citations, $276,074 penalties.
9. Excavation requirements – 629 citations, $4.5 million penalties.
10. Respirable crystalline silica – 590 citations, $1.17 million penalties.