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OSHA & Compliance

Where OSHA rulemaking, citation trends, and penalty amounts actually land on a jobsite. Standard-by-standard breakdowns in plain language, what changed this year, and what an inspector is going to ask for when they show up. Written for the people who have to produce the documentation, not the people who write about it.

OSHA & ComplianceFall Protection Tops OSHA's Top 10 for the 16th Straight YearOSHA's preliminary FY2026 Top 10 puts 1926.501 first again with 4,041 violations. The full list, what 1926.501 and 1926.503 require, and why the ranking never moves.
Jobsite HazardsThe Hard Hat Standard Added Type I+ and Type II+. Here Is What Changes.ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2026 adds optional Type I+ and Type II+ head protection classes built around chin strap and retention testing. What changed, what did not, and a five minute crew check.
Jobsite HazardsWhen the Safety Card Is Real and the Training Never HappenedA Brooklyn indictment over allegedly fake OSHA and site safety cards exposes a gap most contractors have: they verify that the card exists, never that the class did. Here is how to actually check.
OSHA & ComplianceWhat a Repeat OSHA Citation Means, and Why Your Prequal Misses ItOSHA proposed $265,868 against an Illinois contractor with two willful and nine repeat violations. What repeat requires, and why rate screens miss it.
Incident & InvestigationA Trench Box Protects the People Inside It. Nobody Else.A Michigan worker slid into a sewer excavation when the trench wall gave way beside a trench box. OSHA 1926.651(k)(1) covers the adjacent areas, and almost nobody inspects them.
Jobsite HazardsYour Severe Weather Plan Is a Paragraph Nobody Has ReadThere is no general severe weather standard in Part 1926, which is why most jobsite weather plans are one unusable paragraph. Here is what OSHA does require and what a workable plan contains.
Jobsite HazardsTexas Programmed a Record $138 Billion and Cut Project Money 6.5 PercentThe 2027 Texas UTP headline is $138 billion. Only $95 billion is project money, down 6.5 percent from the 2026 plan. Here is what a tighter letting schedule does to bidding and to safety budgets.
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA Is Hearing Arguments to Kill the 2036 Fixed Ladder Deadline. Here Is What Changes and What Does Not.OSHA opens public hearings August 19 on more than 20 deregulatory proposals, including one that would delete the 2036 fixed ladder fall protection deadline. Here is what actually changes.
Jobsite HazardsTwo Workers Died in a Ten Foot Trench. The Rule That Protects Them Starts at Five Feet.A fatal trench collapse in Stockton killed two workers in a ten foot excavation in August 2026. Here is what the excavation standard requires, what the data shows, and a toolbox talk you can run tomorrow.
Jobsite HazardsFall Protection: Still OSHA's #1 Citation Heading Into 2026Fall protection has topped OSHA's citation list for 15 straight years. Here's what the 2024 fall data shows, plus a jobsite checklist to keep your crew off the ground.
OSHA & ComplianceCitations Fell 17 Percent Last Year. Scaffolding Went the Other WayTotal OSHA Top 10 citations dropped from 28,337 to 23,537 in FY2025. Almost every category improved. One did not, and the reason says something about which hazards a jobsite can fix by trying harder.
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA Penalties in 2026: The Paperwork Costs More Than the HazardOSHA penalties hit record highs in 2026, but the fines that sink contractors usually come from paperwork, not the obvious hazard. Here is what inspectors actually pull first.
OSHA & Compliance$299,000 in Fines After a Contractor Stripped Safety Gear Off a Mini-ExcavatorOSHA proposed nearly $300,000 in penalties after a worker was fatally trapped in a confined space beneath a Texas elementary school. The citations include a willful violation for removing factory rollover protection.
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA's Top 10 Most Cited Construction Violations in 2024Fall protection has been OSHA's most cited construction standard for over a decade. Here's the full 2024 top 10 list, why these violations keep showing up, and what they actually mean for your site.
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA Heat Rules in 2026: The Standard Stalled but the Inspections Didn'tThe federal heat standard is stalled, but OSHA just renewed heat inspections for five more years. What changed in April 2026 and what your jobsite heat program needs before summer peaks.
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA's Proposed Heat Standard and What It Means for Your Construction Site This SummerOSHA proposed its first-ever federal heat standard in August 2024. The hearing concluded in summer 2025. Construction is a primary target. Here's what the proposed rule covers, what it means for your site this summer, and what to do right now before enforcement ramps up.
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA Extended the Heat Program Through 2031. Don't Wait Until June to Do Something About ItOSHA extended its heat-hazard National Emphasis Program through 2031. What it means for your summer operations, and the minimum program you should have in place before the first heatwave.
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA's Heat Illness Rule: What Contractors Need to Know Before SummerThe federal heat emphasis program just expired. The proposed heat standard is stalled. And summer is coming. Here's exactly where things stand and what to do about it. Regulatory update as of April 2026: OSHA's Heat National Emphasis Program (NEP) expired on April 8, 2026 and has not been renewed. The proposed federal heat standard remains in rulemaking with no finalization date set. OSHA still retains citation authority under the General Duty Clause. Let's start with the reality on the...
OSHA & ComplianceOSHA's New PPE Fit Rule: What Every Construction Employer Needs to Know Right NowAs of January 13, 2025, OSHA's updated PPE standard for construction now explicitly requires that all personal protective equipment properly fits each individual worker. This isn't a guideline or a best practice recommendation - it's federal law, and violations carry fines up to $165,514 per incident. If your site is still running on one-size-fits-all gear, you have a compliance problem right now. What Exactly Changed in OSHA 1926.95? The big update came to 29 CFR 1926.95, the construction...
OSHA & ComplianceConfined Space Requirements Explained: What OSHA Actually MeansOSHA confined space rules explained without the fluff, definitions, permit requirements, air testing, rescue planning, and common failures.