Federal OSHA

North Dakota Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Private employers in North Dakota fall under federal OSHA. Enforcement records show 1,504 inspections at private worksites in North Dakota opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 1,494 citations.

Private employers
Federal OSHA
29 CFR
State and local government
No OSHA coverage
No State Plan for public employers
Private-sector inspections
1,504
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Trades ranked on own data
Pooled federal ranking
All federal OSHA states

Which safety rules apply in North Dakota

North Dakota has no OSHA-approved State Plan: private employers fall under federal OSHA and 29 CFR, and state and local government employers have no OSHA coverage, since only a State Plan covers public employers.

What gets cited in North Dakota, and what hurts people

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

The hazard cited most at private worksites in North Dakota is Fall protection & working at heights: 28% of the citations grouped by hazard, against 22% across federal OSHA states. Among the others, the hazard that stands out most is Excavation & trenching: 11% here, 4.4 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Oil, Gas & Energy: 8% of North Dakota’s citations, 6.3 times its share across federal OSHA states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in North Dakota

  1. Fall protection & working at heights379 citations
  2. Excavation & trenching147 citations
  3. Ladder safety112 citations
  4. Scaffolds98 citations
  5. Machine guarding75 citations
  6. Electrical safety55 citations

90% of the 1,494 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where North Dakota’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Construction42% · about 588
  2. Residential & Commercial Services16% · about 221
  3. Manufacturing10% · about 134
  4. Oil, Gas & Energy8% · about 108 · 6.3×
  5. Utilities & Public Works5% · about 75 · 2.4×
  6. Agriculture4% · about 61 · 3.7×

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

How the schedule ranks trades for North Dakota

The schedule for North Dakota uses the ranking pooled across federal OSHA states (246,599 citations since October 2020) for the 147 trades with 150 or more pooled citations. The other 115 use the national pattern, built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide, the most reliable data available for them. 98% of North Dakota’s citations, by industry code, are in trades ranked on the pooled data. North Dakota’s own counts show where that ranking matters most here; they don’t change its order.

Trades that stand out in North Dakota

North Dakota’s most-cited industry, then the ones over-represented here, each with its most-cited trade (counted by the industry codes that belong to that trade).

Construction

Roofing

The Construction trade with the most citations at private worksites in North Dakota: about 330 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade.

North Dakota citations

Plain counts for this trade since October 2020 (not weighted)

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 210
  2. 2Ladder safety · 60
  3. 3Scaffolds · 20

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

47,343 citations, about 198 deaths, about 44 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights
  2. 2Ladder safety
  3. 3Personal protective equipment

Oil, Gas & Energy

Upstream - Well Servicing & Workover

The Oil, Gas & Energy trade with the most citations at private worksites in North Dakota: about 74 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Oil, Gas & Energy makes up 6.3 times as large a share of North Dakota’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

North Dakota citations

Plain counts for this trade since October 2020 (not weighted)

  1. 1Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS) · 13
  2. 2Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy) · 10
  3. 3Reporting serious injuries & recordkeeping · 5

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

829 citations, about 88 deaths, about 38 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Flammables, welding & hot work
  2. 2Electrical safety
  3. 3Struck-by & falling objects

Agriculture

Grain Handling & Elevator Operations

The Agriculture trade with the most citations at private worksites in North Dakota: about 56 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Agriculture makes up 3.7 times as large a share of North Dakota’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

North Dakota citations

Plain counts for this trade since October 2020 (not weighted)

  1. 1Confined spaces · 8
  2. 2Fall protection & working at heights · 7
  3. 3Machine guarding · 4

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

312 citations, about 13 deaths, about 11 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights
  2. 2Machine guarding
  3. 3Confined spaces

Manufacturing

Wood Products & Furniture

The Manufacturing trade with the most citations at private worksites in North Dakota: about 34 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade.

North Dakota citations

Plain counts for this trade since October 2020 (not weighted)

  1. 1Machine guarding · 13
  2. 2Personal protective equipment · 3
  3. 3Respiratory protection · 3

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

2,465 citations, about 18 deaths, about 36 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Machine guarding
  2. 2Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy)
  3. 3Caught-in & caught-between

How My Safety Solution works in North Dakota

  • When you set up your company, you pick North Dakota. The app then applies federal OSHA and builds your tailgate talk schedule from the ranking pooled from federal OSHA states.
  • 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.
  • With no federal 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. Guidance, not legal advice.
  • Help with a written program or a federal 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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