State Plan · Kentucky OSH

Kentucky Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Kentucky runs its own State Plan, Kentucky OSH, for private employers and state and local government. Enforcement records show 5,459 inspections at private worksites in Kentucky opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 7,069 citations.

Private employers
Kentucky OSH
State Plan
State and local government
Kentucky OSH
Same State Plan
Private-sector inspections
5,459
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Hazard ranking
National + Kentucky data
Built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide

Which safety rules apply in Kentucky

Kentucky runs its own OSHA-approved State Plan, Kentucky OSH, under the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards. It covers private employers and state and local government in Kentucky.

Kentucky OSH enforces the federal OSHA standards plus a set of its own state standards.

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 Kentucky, and what hurts people

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

The hazard cited most at private worksites in Kentucky is Fall protection & working at heights: 14% of the citations grouped by hazard, against 22% across federal OSHA states. Among the others, the hazard that stands out most is Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease: 7% here, 16.6 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Warehousing & Distribution: 7% of Kentucky’s citations, 1.7 times its share across all states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in Kentucky

  1. Fall protection & working at heights816 citations
  2. Machine guarding440 citations
  3. Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease422 citations
  4. Personal protective equipment405 citations
  5. Reporting serious injuries & recordkeeping378 citations
  6. Electrical safety374 citations

82% of the 7,069 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where Kentucky’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Construction28% · about 1,482
  2. Manufacturing19% · about 1,026 · 1.2×
  3. Residential & Commercial Services12% · about 640
  4. Warehousing & Distribution7% · about 354 · 1.7×
  5. Janitorial & Facility Services5% · about 247 · 1.6×
  6. Auto & Vehicle Services4% · about 214

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 Kentucky

Kentucky’s schedule combines two sources. A trade is ranked on Kentucky’s own citations once Kentucky has 150 or more for it since October 2020; 3 trades qualify today, which hold 20% of Kentucky’s citations by industry code. Every other trade uses the national pattern, built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide: where a state’s own sample is small, the national pattern is the most reliable data available. Kentucky’s own counts are shown alongside (88 trades with a smaller Kentucky sample, 122 with some citations, 49 with none yet).

Trades with the most citations in Kentucky

The most-cited trades in Kentucky’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 Kentucky citations in the plan data: 649 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Kentucky's own ranking (649 citations and about 6 deaths since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Kentucky dataDrives the schedule

649 citations, about 6 deaths since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 394 citations, about 5 deaths
  2. 2Ladder safety · 141 citations, about 1 death
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 51 citations

Nationwide

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 Kentucky citations in the plan data: 132 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses the national pattern for this trade, the most reliable data available for it. Kentucky’s own record is shown alongside (about 132 citations and about 2 deaths since October 2020).

Kentucky data

132 citations, about 2 deaths since October 2020

  1. 1Machine guarding · 19 citations, about 1 death
  2. 2Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy) · 23 citations
  3. 3Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease · 26 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 Kentucky citations in the plan data: 65 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses the national pattern for this trade, the most reliable data available for it. Kentucky’s own record is shown alongside (65 citations since October 2020).

Kentucky data

65 citations since October 2020

  1. 1Forklifts & powered industrial trucks · 10 citations
  2. 2Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease · 6 citations
  3. 3Fire extinguishers · 5 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 Kentucky citations in the plan data: 61 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses the national pattern for this trade, the most reliable data available for it. Kentucky’s own record is shown alongside (61 citations and about 1 death since October 2020).

Kentucky data

61 citations, about 1 death since October 2020

  1. 1Confined spaces · 14 citations
  2. 2Personal protective equipment · 6 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 Kentucky

  • When you set up your company, you pick Kentucky. The app then applies Kentucky OSH and builds your tailgate talk schedule from the ranking built from Kentucky’s own citations where your trade has 150 or more there, and the national pattern otherwise.
  • 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 Kentucky’s own state rules, so check those with Kentucky OSH 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 Kentucky OSH’s own recordkeeping rules for anything it adds. Guidance, not legal advice.
  • Help with a written program or a Kentucky OSH 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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