'Each of these events represents families forever changed, careers cut short and communities impacted,' NSC CEO Lorraine Martin said.
DENVER – The National Safety Council revealed major injury and fatality events associated with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2025, using the latest available federal data to underscore the impact of persistent hazards.
Unveiled during the 2025 NSC Safety Congress & Expo, Fall Protection – General Requirements topped OSHA’s list for the 15th straight year, followed by Hazard Communication and Ladders. Recognizing the severity of these repeated trends, NSC examined the Bureau of Labor Statistics injury, illness and fatality data to explore safety outcomes potentially associated with citations.
The following are some of the top incidents:
Falls (1. Fall Protection – General Requirements, 3. Ladders, 6. Fall Protection – Training Requirements, and 7. Scaffolds): 725 fall to a lower level deaths in 2023
Hazardous Energy (5. Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout): 48 deaths in 2023 and 17,690 days away, restricted or transferred (DART) in 2021-2022. Exposure to electricity caused 142 deaths in 2023 and 3,960 DART cases in 2021-2022 involving being struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, or testing.
Respiratory Illnesses (5. Respiratory Protection): 125,400 reportable cases in 2023
Forklift, Order Picker, Platform Truck – Powered (8. Powered Industrial Trucks): 67 deaths in 2023 and 24,960 DART cases in 2021-2022
Communication (2. Hazard Communication): chemicals were the primary injury source in 63 deaths in 2023 and 29,530 days away, restricted or transferred (DART) cases in 2021-23
Eye and Face Injuries (9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection): 48,680 and 87,070 DART cases respectively in 2021-2022
Caught in Running Equipment (10. Machine Guarding): 53 deaths in 2023 and 26,940 DART cases in 2021-2022
NSC also identified other top fatality events not associated with OSHA’s most-cited standards:
Transportation incidents: 1,942 deaths in 2023, including 1,369 roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles and 310 pedestrian vehicular incidents
Workplace violence: 740 deaths, including 458 homicides and 281 suicides
Overexertion and bodily reaction: 1,001,440 DART cases in 2021-2022, including 692,240 from overexertion involving outside sources
“Each of these events represents families forever changed, careers cut short and communities impacted,” said Lorraine Martin, NSC CEO. “OSHA’s findings, paired with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, should be taken as urgent warnings, not just data points. It’s time to transform compliance into action with strong controls, comprehensive training and cultures that value safety above all.”
A more in-depth analysis of OSHA’s Top 10 safety violations will be available in the December issue of Safety+Health magazine, an NSC publication. For more injury and fatality trend information, visit Injury Facts.
About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.
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