Across industries, a handful of hazard categories account for a disproportionate share of citations, year after year. None of them are exotic — they're the ordinary things that are easy to defer.
The recurring categories
- Fall protection. Missing or inadequate protection for work at height, consistently one of the most cited categories in construction.
- Hazard communication. Missing labels, missing safety data sheets, or missing training on chemicals in use.
- Respiratory protection. Missing fit-testing or medical evaluation where respirators are required.
- Lockout/tagout. Missing or incomplete procedures for controlling hazardous energy during equipment maintenance.
- Machine guarding. Unguarded moving parts on equipment that's otherwise fine to operate.
- Electrical. Wiring methods, panel access, and general electrical housekeeping.
- Powered industrial trucks (forklifts). Missing operator training or certification records.
- Fall protection training. Having equipment on site without documented training on how to use it.
What ties these together
Almost every item on this list is a documentation or maintenance gap rather than a missing piece of equipment — the harness exists but training wasn't documented; the guard exists but got removed for a repair and never went back on. That pattern is good news: it means most of this is genuinely fixable with a regular walkthrough and a habit of closing the loop.
A simple way to stay ahead
Pick a recurring day each month for a walkthrough focused specifically on this list. It takes less time than most owners expect, and it catches the majority of what tends to accumulate between more formal reviews.
Next step
Run the free hazard identifier for a read on which of these categories are most relevant to your setting, and download the free OSHA Workplace Safety Checklist for a self-audit template.