---
title: "OSHA Update: Rising Fines And 2015 Most Frequently Cited Standards"
description: Each year OSHA releases the list of most frequently cited standards. The penalty for violating these, and any, OSHA standards is increasing in 2016.
image: https://www.thegibsonedge.com/hubfs/blog-files/OSHA_2015.jpg
---
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###### 11 min read
# [OSHA Update: Rising Fines And 2015 Most Frequently Cited Standards](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog/osha-update-2015-most-frequently-cited-standards-and-rising-fines)
Dec 9, 2015 6:30:00 AM
Each year OSHA releases the 10 most frequently cited standards. Many of the same standards have found themselves on this list in recent years. The penalty for violating these, and any, OSHA standards is about to increase for the first time since 1990.
The [Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990](http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:28%20section:2461%20edition:prelim)) prevented OSHA from adjusting and increasing its fines to account for inflation. But on November 2, 2015, President Obama singed a budget bill into law – and that bill included a provision to remove this exemption, allowing OSHA to increase their fines.
The initial change will be the most significant, estimated at an 80% increase from the current levels. This will allow the fines to catch up from the past 25 years of inflation. In future years, OSHA will be allowed to increase its fines based on inflation.
The new fine amounts are expected to be officially released in 2016, and the adjustment must occur before August 1, 2016. [The Wall Street Journal](http://www.wsj.com/articles/osha-fines-to-rise-for-first-time-since-1990-1446603819) references workplace safety experts who predict the most severe citations to increase from $70,000 to $125,000 for willful violations, and other serious violations from $7,000 to $12,500. Again, no exact rates have been released, only speculation. Stay tuned as the changes unfolds and OSHA releases their official updates.
Taking proper precautions to avoid these commonly recognized hazards in your facility can not only protect your organization from the rising fines, but more importantly it can keep your workforce safe. Below you will find the most frequently cited violations for 2015, links to the standards, and useful resources.
To see the 2014 list, please [click here](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/top-osha-violations-for-2014).
### **Top Most Cited OSHA Violations For 2015**
| # 1 | #### Fall Protection (Construction) #### Violations: 7,402 | [1926.501](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=10757&p_table=STANDARDS) | - [Gibson's The Essential Elements Of Fall Protection blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/the-essential-elements-of-fall-protection-for-construction) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics – Fall Protection](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/) - [National Safety Stand-Down](https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/) - [EHS Today – Fall Protection](http://ehstoday.com/ppe/fall-protection) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| # 2 | #### Hazard Communication #### Violations: 5,681 | [1910.1200](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10099) | - [Gibson's Hazard Communication: The Right To Know blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/hazard-communication-the-right-to-know) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics - Hazard Communications](https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/index.html) - [EHS Today – Five Steps To Hazard Communication Compliance](http://ehstoday.com/sponsored/five-steps-hazard-communication-compliance) - [Society for Chemical Hazard Communication](http://www.schc.org/) - [The Center for Construction Research and Training – Hazard Communication Training Materials](http://www.cpwr.com/training/hazard-communication) |
| # 3 | #### Scaffolding (Construction) #### Violations: 4,681 | [1926.451](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10752) | - [Gibson's Scaffold Safety In Construction Blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/scaffold-safety-in-construction) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics – Scaffolding](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/scaffolding/index.html) - [OSHA Scaffolding eTool ](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/scaffolding/index.html) - [National Safety Stand-Down](https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/) |
| # 4 | #### Respiratory Protection #### Violations: 3,626 | [1910.134](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=12716&p_table=standards) | - [Gibson's Understanding Respiratory Protection blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/understanding-respiratory-protection) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics – Respiratory Protection](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/respiratoryprotection/index.html) - [OSHA Respiratory Protection eTool](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/respiratory/index.html) - [CDC – National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory Respiratory Protection](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/respusers.html) |
| # 5 | #### Lockout/ Tagout #### Violations: 3,308 | [1910.147](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9804) | - [Gibson's Controlling Hazardous Energy: Lockout/Tagout Safety blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/controlling-hazardous-energy-lockout/tagout-safety) - [Gibson's Understanding Mechanical Hazards Blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/understanding-mechanical-hazards) - [Gibson's Methods of Machine Safeguarding Blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/methods-of-machine-safeguarding) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics – Lockout/Tagout](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/controlhazardousenergy/index.html) - [OSHA Lockout/Tagout eTool](https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/lototraining/index.html) |
| # 6 | #### Powered Industrial Trucks #### Violations: 3,004 | [1910.178](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9828) | - [Gibson’s Best Safety Practices For Forklifts blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/best-safety-practices-for-forklifts) - [Gibson’s 5 Easy Steps For Forklift Safety blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/5-easy-steps-for-forklift-safety) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics – Powered Industrial Trucks - Forklifts](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/poweredindustrialtrucks/index.html) - [OSHA Forklift eTool](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/pit/index.html) |
| # 7 | #### Ladders (Construction) #### Violations: 2,732 | [1926.1053](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10839) | - [Gibson’s Ladder Safety Tips blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/ladder-safety-tips) - [National Safety Stand-Down](https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/) - [OSHA Ladder Safety eTool](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/construction/falls/4ladders.html) |
| # 8 | #### Electrical, Wiring Methods #### Violations: 2,624 | [1910.305](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=9882&p_table=STANDARDS) | - [Gibson's Preventing Electrical Accidents blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/preventing-electrical-accidents) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics - Electrical](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/electrical/index.html) - [OSHA Training & Reference Library - Electrical](https://www.osha.gov/dte/library/electrical/electrical.html) - [Safety + Health Magazine – Electrical Safety](http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/keywords/406-electrical-safety) |
| # 9 | #### Machine Guarding #### Violations: 2,540 | [1910.212](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9836) | - [Gibson's Understanding Mechanical Hazards Blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/understanding-mechanical-hazards) - [Gibson's Methods of Machine Safeguarding Blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/methods-of-machine-safeguarding) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics – Machine Guarding ](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/machineguarding/index.html) - [OSHA Machine Guarding eTool](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/machineguarding/index.html) - [OSHA Machine Guarding Checklist](https://www.osha.gov/Publications/Mach_SafeGuard/checklist.html) |
| # 10 | #### Electrical, General Requirements #### Violations: 2, 181 | [1910.303](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9880) | - [Gibson's Preventing Electrical Accidents blog](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/preventing-electrical-accidents) - [OSHA Safety & Health Topics - Electrical](https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/electrical/index.html) - [OSHA Training & Reference Library - Electrical](https://www.osha.gov/dte/library/electrical/electrical.html) - [Safety + Health Magazine – Electrical Safety](http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/keywords/406-electrical-safety) |
### **Top 10 Serious Violations For 2015**
[OSHA defines](https://www.osha.gov/Publications/fedrites.html) a **serious violation** as one “when the workplace hazard could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, unless the employer did not know or could not have known of the violation.” Here are the top 10 **serious violations** for 2015:
1. Fall Protection - Construction ([1926.501](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=10757&p_table=STANDARDS))
2. Scaffolding – Construction ([1926.451](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10752))
3. Hazard Communication ([1910.1200](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10099))
4. Lockout/Tagout ([1910.147](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9804))
5. Ladders – Construction ([1926.1053](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10839))
6. Respiratory Protection ([1910.134](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=12716&p_table=standards))
7. Machine Guarding ([1910.212](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9836))
8. Powered Industrial Trucks ([1910.178](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9828))
9. Electrical – Wiring Methods ([1910.305](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=9882&p_table=STANDARDS))
10. Electrical – General Requirements ([1910.303](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9880))
### **Top 10 Willful Violations For 2015**
[OSHA defines](https://www.osha.gov/Publications/fedrites.html) a **willful violation** as “a violation in which the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety.” Here are the top 10 **willful violations** for 2015:
1. Fall Protection - Construction ([1926.501](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=10757&p_table=STANDARDS))
2. Asbestos – Construction ([1926.1101](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=10862&p_table=standards))
3. Excavations – Construction ([1926.652](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=10776))
4. Scaffolding – Construction ([1926.451](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10752))
5. Lockout/Tagout ([1910.147](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9804))
6. Machine Guarding ([1910.212](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9836))
7. Permit-Required Confined Spaces ([1910.146](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=9797))
8. Specific Excavation Requirements – Construction ([1926.651](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=10775))
9. Fall Protection – Steel Erection ([1926.760](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=12751))
10. Respiratory Protection ([1910.134](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=12716&p_table=standards)), [Occupational Noise Exposure](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/strategies-for-protecting-your-workers-from-hazardous-noise) ([1910.95](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=9735)), and [Bloodborne Pathogens](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/bloodborne-pathogens-preventing-exposures) ([1910.1030](https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=10051))
*Standard rank and number of violations data is from [Safety + Health Magazine's November 2015 report](http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/13283-oshas-top-10-most-cited-violations-for-fiscal-year-2015). *
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