State Plan · Iowa OSHA

Iowa Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Iowa runs its own State Plan, Iowa OSHA, for private employers and state and local government. Enforcement records show 3,635 inspections at private worksites in Iowa opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 5,521 citations.

Private employers
Iowa OSHA
State Plan
State and local government
Iowa OSHA
Same State Plan
Private-sector inspections
3,635
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Hazard ranking
Nationwide OSHA data
Built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide

Which safety rules apply in Iowa

Iowa runs its own OSHA-approved State Plan, Iowa OSHA, under the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, Labor/OSHA Division. It covers private employers and state and local government in Iowa.

Iowa OSHA adopts the federal OSHA standards (29 CFR) by reference, with a few rules of its own.

Some work stays under federal OSHA even inside a State Plan state: maritime work (shipyards, marine terminals, longshoring), most federal enclaves and military bases, tribal land and U.S. Postal Service operations.

What gets cited in Iowa, and what hurts people

Counts from U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement records: inspections at private worksites in Iowa opened from October 2020 to September 2026. Rankings and schedule data as of September 27, 2026.

The hazard cited most at private worksites in Iowa is Machine guarding: 14% of the citations grouped by hazard, against 5% across federal OSHA states. Among the others, the hazard that stands out most is Asbestos: 3% here, 11.0 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Manufacturing: 34% of Iowa’s citations, 2.2 times its share across all states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in Iowa

  1. Machine guarding669 citations
  2. Electrical safety562 citations
  3. Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy)463 citations
  4. Reporting serious injuries & recordkeeping414 citations
  5. Fall protection & working at heights325 citations
  6. Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS)270 citations

89% of the 5,521 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where Iowa’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Manufacturing34% · about 1,431 · 2.2×
  2. Construction18% · about 764
  3. Residential & Commercial Services6% · about 253
  4. Warehousing & Distribution5% · about 226 · 1.4×
  5. Agriculture5% · about 223 · 1.7×
  6. Janitorial & Facility Services4% · about 182 · 1.5×

By industry code; a code that fits two industries is split evenly. “×”: share here against the share across all states.

How the schedule ranks trades for Iowa

Every trade in Iowa is scheduled from the national pattern, built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide (federal OSHA and State Plan inspections). Where a state’s own sample is small, the national pattern is the most reliable data available, so it sets the order here, with Iowa’s own counts shown alongside (80 trades with a smaller Iowa sample, 117 with some citations, 65 with none yet). A trade moves to a ranking built from Iowa’s own citations once Iowa has 150 or more for it since October 2020.

Trades with the most citations in Iowa

The most-cited trades in Iowa’s plan data, one per industry, with the hazards the app schedules for each. Trades whose industry code mostly belongs to another trade are left out.

Construction

Roofing

The Construction trade with the most Iowa citations in the plan data: 120 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses the national pattern for this trade, the most reliable data available for it. Iowa’s own record is shown alongside (120 citations and about 3 deaths since October 2020).

Iowa data

120 citations, about 3 deaths since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 52 citations, about 3 deaths
  2. 2Ladder safety · 20 citations, about 1 death
  3. 3Asbestos · 22 citations

NationwideDrives the schedule

66,196 citations, about 315 deaths, about 100 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 35,450 citations, about 237 deaths
  2. 2Ladder safety · 11,636 citations, about 21 deaths
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 8,583 citations

Manufacturing

Plastics & Rubber

The Manufacturing trade with the most Iowa citations in the plan data: 119 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses the national pattern for this trade, the most reliable data available for it. Iowa’s own record is shown alongside (about 119 citations and about 3 hospitalizations since October 2020).

Iowa data

119 citations, about 3 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Machine guarding · 30 citations
  2. 2Electrical safety · 17 citations
  3. 3Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy) · 11 citations

NationwideDrives the schedule

5,864 citations, about 28 deaths, about 78 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Machine guarding · 918 citations, about 3 deaths
  2. 2Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy) · 1,184 citations, about 1 death
  3. 3Caught-in & caught-between · 0 citations, about 6 deaths

Warehousing & Distribution

General Warehousing

The Warehousing & Distribution trade with the most Iowa citations in the plan data: 93 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses the national pattern for this trade, the most reliable data available for it. Iowa’s own record is shown alongside (93 citations, about 1 death and about 8 hospitalizations since October 2020).

Iowa data

93 citations, about 1 death, about 8 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Forklifts & powered industrial trucks · 20 citations, about 1 death
  2. 2Electrical safety · 21 citations
  3. 3Machine guarding · 9 citations

NationwideDrives the schedule

5,410 citations, about 54 deaths, about 108 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Forklifts & powered industrial trucks · 1,325 citations, about 16 deaths
  2. 2Electrical safety · 856 citations
  3. 3Fall protection & working at heights · 204 citations, about 9 deaths

Auto & Vehicle Services

Car Wash & Detailing

The Auto & Vehicle Services trade with the most Iowa citations in the plan data: 49 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses the national pattern for this trade, the most reliable data available for it. Iowa’s own record is shown alongside (49 citations and about 1 hospitalization since October 2020).

Iowa data

49 citations, about 1 hospitalization since October 2020

  1. 1Electrical safety · 19 citations
  2. 2Personal protective equipment · 6 citations
  3. 3First aid & emergency medical response · 5 citations

NationwideDrives the schedule

1,528 citations, about 10 deaths, about 8 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Machine guarding · 50 citations
  2. 2Electrical safety · 214 citations
  3. 3Caught-in & caught-between · 0 citations, about 1 death

How My Safety Solution works in Iowa

  • When you set up your company, you pick Iowa. The app then applies Iowa OSHA and builds your tailgate talk schedule from the national pattern, built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide, with Iowa’s own citations moving a trade onto state data once it has 150.
  • Each talk references the regulations it’s built on, from Cal/OSHA (Title 8) and federal OSHA (29 CFR). Title 8 applies only in California.
  • Talks don’t cite Iowa’s own state rules, so check those with Iowa OSHA for your worksites.
  • With no federal or state standard for them, heat illness prevention (May 1 – Sep 30), wildfire smoke protection (Jul 1 – Oct 31) and cold & wet weather work (Nov 1 – Feb 28) are placed in season for outdoor trades as practice guidance; HazCom, emergency action and injury reporting, once a year.
  • Keep your OSHA 300 log, 300A summary and 301 incident reports in the app, built around 29 CFR 1904. Check Iowa OSHA’s own recordkeeping rules for anything it adds. Guidance, not legal advice.
  • Help with a written program or a Iowa OSHA citation: consulting, as advice and guidance, requested from your account. Our team’s credentials include CHST, OSHA 500, OSHA 10 & 30.

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