Last year, nine of the most expensive OSHA citations included some kind of fall protection violation, whether the company in question primarily performed roofing or mixed asphalt. The tenth mostly dealt with excavation and trenching violations.
It’s easy to understand why these inoculations warranted the highest penalties, as they are among the most dangerous activities that can happen on a construction project. In fact, falls constituted more than 33% of all construction deaths in 2018. In addition, four of the 10 most-cited OSHA violations are related to falls.