1. Falls consistently account for the greatest number of fatalities in the construction industry. If you have employees who work six or more feet above a lower level, you must provide fall protection.
• Read a fact sheet. OSHA Fact Sheet: Preventing Falls in Construction.
  Also available as a 1 MB PDF - 353 KB]
• Read the standards.
  • 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M
  • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Fall Protection - Standards
• Review fall protection information for specific operations or types of construction:
  • Residential construction. OSHA Fall Protection in Residential Construction
  • Steel erection. OSHA Construction eTool: Steel Erection - Fall Protection
• Learn more:
  • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Fall Protection
  • OSHA Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction
  • OSHA Construction eTool: Falls
  • OSHA Pocket Guide: Construction. OSHA Publication 3252 (2005). Also available as a 288 KB PDF.
2. Stairways and Ladders. Working on and around stairways and ladders can be hazardous. Stairways and ladders are major sources of injuries and fatalities among construction workers.
• Review an OSHA booklet. Stairways and Ladders. OSHA Publication 3124 (2003). Also available as a 156 KB PDF.
• Read the standards.
  • 29 CFR 1926 Subpart X
  • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Walking/Working Surfaces - OSHA Standards
• Learn more:
  
  • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Walking/Working Surfaces
  • OSHA Construction eTool: Misuse of Portable Ladders
3. Scaffolding. Do you use scaffolding on your jobsite?
   • Review an OSHA booklet. A Guide to Scaffold Use in the Construction Industry. OSHA Publication 3150 (2002). Also available as a 2 MB PDF.
   • Read the standards.
     • 29 CFR 1926 Subpart L
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Scaffolding - OSHA Standards
   • Learn more:
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Scaffolding
     • OSHA Construction eTool: Scaffolding
4. Electrical. Almost all construction employers must consider the hazards associated with electricity (i.e., electric shock, electrocution, fires and explosions).
   • Review OSHA booklets:
     • Controlling Electrical Hazards. OSHA Publication 3075 (2002)
   • Read the standards.
     • 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Electrical - Standards
   • Learn more:
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Electrical
     • OSHA Construction eTool: Electrical Incidents
5. Trenching and Excavation are among the most hazardous construction operations.
   • Read a QuickCard. Working Safely in Trenches [PDF^* - 322 KB] OSHA Publication 3243 (2011) (English and Spanish)
   • Read a fact sheet. OSHA Fact Sheet: Trenching and Excavation Safety: English [PDF^* - 249 KB] and Spanish [PDF^* - 282 KB]
   • Get a poster. Trenching Poster: English [PDF^* - 249 KB] OSHA Publication 3215 (2011) and Spanish [PDF^* - 263 KB] OSHA Publication 3255 (2011)
   • Review an OSHA booklet. Excavations. OSHA Publication 2226 (2002). Also available as a 536 KB PDF.
   • Read the standards.
     • 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Trenching and Excavation - Construction
   • Learn more:
   • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Trenching and Excavation - Construction
   • OSHA Construction eTool: Trenching and Excavation
   • OSHA Technical Manual Chapter: Excavations - Hazard Recognition in Trenching and Shoring
6. Motor Vehicle Safety/Highway Work Zones. Do you operate motor vehicles on your jobsite or do your employees work in and around highway work zones?
   • Read a fact sheet. OSHA Fact Sheet: Work Zone Traffic Safety [PDF^* - 21 KB]
   • Read the standards.
     • 29 CFR 1926 Subpart O, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart G
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Motor Vehicle Safety - Construction
   • Learn more:
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Motor Vehicle Safety - Construction
     • OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Construction - Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals and Barricades
     • OSHA Construction eTool: Vehicles

NOTE: To find the OSHA standards that are most frequently cited by OSHA inspectors, visit Frequently Cited OSHA Standards. On that page, you can find the most frequently cited federal or state OSHA standards by your industry's Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code and the number of employees in your establishment. To generate a list of the most frequently cited standards in the construction industry as a whole, enter a C in the SIC code box.

NOTE: Most construction jobsites involve multiple employers (i.e., general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, etc.). If you perform work on such jobsites, you should review OSHA's Multi-Employer Citation Policy.