Top 10 Safety Rule Violations, Federal Fiscal Year 2025
Summary
WA Division of Occupational Safety (DOSH) published inspection citation data identifying the top 10 safety and health rules most frequently violated during L&I inspections from October 2024 through September 2025 (Federal Fiscal Year 2025). The report covers all industries and provides separate breakdowns for construction and general industry excluding construction or agriculture.
What changed
WA DOSH published its annual top 10 list of safety rule violations based on inspection data from October 2024 through September 2025. Across all industries, the top violations were: Safety Committees and Safety Meetings (WAC 296-800-130), Chemical Hazard Communication (WAC 296-901-140), Personal Protective Equipment (WAC 296-800-160), Accident Prevention Program (WAC 296-800-140), Basic Electrical Rules (WAC 296-800-280), Portable Fire Extinguishers (WAC 296-800-300), First-Aid (WAC 296-800-150), Asbestos (WAC 296-62-077), Emergency Exit Routes (WAC 296-800-310), and Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training (WAC 296-863-600). For construction specifically, Accident Prevention Program, Fall Protection at 10 feet, and Fall Protection at 4 feet ranked among the top violations.
Washington employers should use this data to prioritize their compliance efforts. The page includes links to free L&I consultation services for safety program development. While this is informational rather than a new regulatory requirement, employers with operations in construction, manufacturing, or general industry in Washington State should review their existing safety programs against these commonly cited WAC provisions to reduce inspection risk.
Archived snapshot
Apr 18, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
These tables show the safety and health rules most cited during L&I inspections from Oct. 2024 — Sept. 2025 (Federal Fiscal Year 2025). The resource column provides links to safety and health publications, videos, presentations, data, sample programs, and other resources.
| Rule | Resources |
|---|---|
| 1 Accident Prevention Program (APP) - Construction | |
| WAC 296-155-110 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
| 2 Fall Protection at Ten Feet or More & Training | |
| WAC 296-880-10020 | Falls (From Heights) |
| 3 Safety Committees and Safety Meetings | |
| WAC 296-800-130 | Safety Meetings and Committees |
| 4 Chemical Hazard Communication | |
| WAC 296-901-140 | Chemical Safety Basics |
| 5 Fall Protection at Four Feet or More | |
| WAC 296-880-200 | Falls (From Heights) |
| 6 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | |
| WAC 296-800-160 | Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) |
| 7 Accident Prevention Program - General Industry | |
| WAC 296-800-140 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
| 8 Asbestos, Tremolite, Anthophyllite, and Actinolite | |
| WAC 296-62-077 | Asbestos |
| 9 Basic Electrical Rules | |
| WAC 296-800-280 | Electrical Hazards |
| 10 First-Aid Training and Certification | |
| WAC 296-155-120 | First Aid & Eyewash and Emergency Washing Facilities |
This information can help strengthen your required workplace safety program and prevent costly injuries and illnesses. Get free consultation advice from L&I experts in safety and health, or risk management for your business. Call a consultant near you or request an onsite consultation at no cost.
Industry Breakdown
These tables below show a breakdown of top violations for various industries.
All Industries
All industries excluding both construction and agriculture
| Rule | Resources |
|---|---|
| 1 Safety Committees and Safety Meetings | |
| WAC 296-800-130 | Safety Meetings and Committees |
| 2 Chemical Hazard Communication | |
| WAC 296-901-140 | Chemical Safety Basics |
| 3 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | |
| WAC 296-800-160 | Personal Protective Equipment |
| 4 Accident Prevention Program | |
| WAC 296-800-140 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
| 5 Basic Electrical Rules | |
| WAC 296-800-280 | Electrical Hazards |
| 6 Portable Fire Extinguishers | |
| WAC 296-800-300 | Using a Fire Extinguisher |
| 7 First-Aid | |
| WAC 296-800-150 | First Aid & Eyewash and Emergency Washing Facilities |
| WAC 296-62-077 | Asbestos |
| 9 Emergency Exit Routes and Alarm Systems | |
| WAC 296-800-310 | Core Rules - Exit Routes |
| *10* Powered Industrial Trucks Operator Training | |
| WAC 296-863-600 | Powered Industrial Truck Safety |
All industries excluding construction
| Rule | Resources |
|---|---|
| 1 Safety Committees and Safety Meetings | |
| WAC 296-800-130 | Safety Meetings and Committees |
| 2 Chemical Hazard Communication | |
| WAC 296-901-140 | Chemical Safety Basics |
| 3 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | |
| WAC 296-800-160 | Personal Protective Equipment |
| 4 Accident Prevention Program | |
| WAC 296-800-140 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
| 5 Basic Electrical Rules | |
| WAC 296-800-280 | Electrical Hazards |
| 6 Portable Fire Extinguishers | |
| WAC 296-800-300 | Using a Fire Extinguisher (Powerpoint) |
| 7 First-Aid Summary | |
| WAC 296-800-150 | First-Aid For General Industry (Powerpoint) |
| WAC 296-62-077 | Asbestos |
| 9 Emergency Exit Routes and Alarm Systems | |
| WAC 296-800-310 | Core Rules - Exit Routes |
| 10 Employer Responsibilities: Safe Workplace | |
| WAC 296-800-110 | Core Rules |
All industries excluding agriculture
| Rule | Resources |
|---|---|
| 1 Accident Prevention Program (Construction) | |
| WAC 296-155-110 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
| WAC 296-880-10020 | Falls (From Heights) |
| 3 Safety Committees and Safety Meetings | |
| WAC 296-800-130 | Safety Meetings and Committees |
| 4 Fall Protection at Four Feet or More | |
| WAC 296-880-200 | Falls (From Heights) |
| 5 Chemical Hazard Communication | |
| WAC 296-901-140 | Chemical Safety Basics |
| 6 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | |
| WAC 296-800-160 | Personal Protective Equipment |
| 7 Accident Prevention Program | |
| WAC 296-800-140 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
| WAC 296-62-077 | Asbestos |
| 9 Basic Electrical Rules | |
| WAC 296-800-280 | Electrical Hazards |
| 10 First-Aid Summary | |
| WAC 296-800-150 | First-Aid For General Industry (Powerpoint) |
Construction Only
| Rule | Resources |
| --- | --- |
| 1 Accident Prevention Program
WAC 296-155-110 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
WAC 296-880-10020 | Falls (From Heights) |
| 3 Fall Protection at Four Feet or More
WAC 296-880-200 | Falls (From Heights) |
| 4 First-Aid Training and Certification
WAC 296-155-120 | First Aid in Construction |
| 5 Portable Ladder Use
WAC 296-876-400 | Ladder Safety |
| 6 Specific fall protection requirements.
WAC 296-880-300 | Falls (From Heights) |
| 7 Asbestos, Tremolite, Anthophyllite, and Actinolite
WAC 296-62-077 | Asbestos |
| 8 Excavation, Trenching, and Shoring
WAC 296-155-655 | Trenching & Excavation |
| 9 Tools - Hand and Power
WAC 296-155-350 | Hand and Portable Power Tools |
| 10 Requirement For Protective Systems
WAC 296-155-657 | Trenching & Excavation |
Agriculture Only
| Rule | Resources |
| --- | --- |
| 1 Protection of Agriculture Pesticide Handlers
WAC 296-307-112 | Agriculture |
| 2 Chemical Hazard Communication
WAC 296-901-140 | Chemical Safety Basics |
| 3 Personal protective equipment
WAC 296-307-100 | Personal Protective Equipment |
| 4 Safety Meeting Requirements
WAC 296-307-033 | Agriculture |
| 5 First Aid Requirement (Safe Place Standard)(Agriculture)
WAC 296-307-039 | First Aid & Eyewash and Emergency Washing Facilities |
| 6 Accident Prevention - Agriculture
WAC 296-307-030 | Accident Prevention Program (APP) |
| 7 Temporary Worker Housing & Cherry Harvest Camps
WAC 296-307-161 | Agriculture Standards & Guidance |
| 8 Rollover Protective Structures for Tractors
WAC 296-307-080 | Tractor Safety |
| 9 Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts)
WAC 296-307-520 | Powered Industrial Truck Safety |
| 10 Field Sanitation
WAC 296-307-095 | Agriculture Standards & Guidance |
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