OSHA’s Most Frequently Cited Standards in 2021
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) keeps records not only of the most frequently cited standards overall, but also within particular industries. The most recent statistics from OSHA reveal the top standards cited in the fiscal year 2021 for the health care and social assistance industry. This top 10 list comprises establishments providing health care and social assistance for individuals. The sector includes both health care and social assistance because it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the boundaries of these two activities. The industries in this sector are arranged on a continuum starting with those establishments providing medical care exclusively, continuing with those providing health care and social assistance and finishing with those providing only social assistance.
| Description of Violation | Cited Standard Number | ACV* |
| 1. Respiratory Protection – This standard refers to respirators use to protect employees from hazardous substances. Requirements of this standard include a written program, selection of respirators, medical evaluations, fit testing, safe operating procedures and training. | 29 CFR 1910.134 | $3,786 |
2. Bloodborne Pathogens – This standard refers to the prevention of occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. Requirements include exposure control, training and compliance, vaccination evaluations and follow-up, hazard communication and recordkeeping, |
29 CFR 1910.1030 | $2,804 |
3. Hazard Communication – This standard refers to the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. Requirements include developing and implementing a program, recordkeeping, labeling and training. |
29 CFR 1910.1200 | $1,092 |
4. Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations and Losses of an Eye – This standard covers types of injuries that require OSHA reporting. Fatalities must be reported within eight hours, and hospitalizations, amputations and eye loss must be reported within 24 hours. |
29 CFR 1904.39 | $4,079 |
5. COVID-19 health care – This standard refers to the requirements for health care services or health care support services during the COVID-19 pandemic. These requirements include developing a COVID-19 plan, screenings and management, personal protective equipment (PPE), transmission prevention, health screening, training, recordkeeping, reporting and vaccination. |
29 CFR 1910.502 | $3,151 |
6. Recording Fatalities, Injuries and Illness Criteria — This standard covers types of injuries that require OSHA recording. Employers are required to record fatalities, injuries and illnesses that are new work-related cases. |
29 CFR 1904.4 | $1,537 |
7. Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout) – Control of hazardous energy is the practice of de-energizing equipment and locking the energy source to prevent release of energy. Requirements include written procedures, training and periodic inspection. |
29 CFR 1910.147 | $0 |
8. General Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements – This standard refers to providing, managing and maintaining the proper personal protective equipment for employees. Requirements include identifying required PPE, maintenance, sanitation, replacement and training. |
29 CFR 1910.132 | $1,717 |
9. Permit-required Confined Spaces (PRCS) – PRCS are spaces that contain or are likely to contain serious hazards. Requirements of this standard include hazard evaluation, entry-permit systems, employee training, and emergency response plans. |
29 CFR 1910.146 | $0 |
10. Electronic submission of Employer Identification Number (EIN) and illness/injury records to OSHA – This standard refers to the requirements for annual submission of the OSHA 300A logs. The requirements include who needs to submit the reports. |
29 CFR 1904.41 | $1,225 |
*ACV (Average Cost per Violation) – The dollar amount represents the average cost per violation that employers in this industry paid in 2021. To understand the full capacity and scope of each standard, click on the standard number to visit www.osha.gov and view the language in its entirety. Source: OSHA.gov. Design © 2022 Zywave, Inc.
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