Federal OSHA

Pennsylvania Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Private employers in Pennsylvania fall under federal OSHA. Enforcement records show 15,061 inspections at private worksites in Pennsylvania opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 18,370 citations.

Private employers
Federal OSHA
29 CFR
State and local government
No OSHA coverage
No State Plan for public employers
Private-sector inspections
15,061
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Trades ranked on own data
Pooled federal ranking
All federal OSHA states

Which safety rules apply in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, and what hurts people

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

The hazard cited most at private worksites in Pennsylvania is Fall protection & working at heights: 15% of the citations grouped by hazard, against 22% across federal OSHA states. Among the others, the hazard that stands out most is Respiratory protection: 8% here, 1.6 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Auto & Vehicle Services: 4% of Pennsylvania’s citations, 1.8 times its share across federal OSHA states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in Pennsylvania

  1. Fall protection & working at heights2,577 citations
  2. Respiratory protection1,352 citations
  3. Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS)1,313 citations
  4. Electrical safety1,182 citations
  5. Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy)1,011 citations
  6. Machine guarding1,001 citations

91% of the 18,370 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where Pennsylvania’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Construction27% · about 3,984
  2. Manufacturing26% · about 3,860 · 1.6×
  3. Residential & Commercial Services13% · about 1,980
  4. Warehousing & Distribution5% · about 682 · 1.2×
  5. Auto & Vehicle Services4% · about 531 · 1.8×
  6. Food Service & Hospitality3% · about 458 · 1.5×

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 Pennsylvania

The schedule for Pennsylvania 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. 94% of Pennsylvania’s citations, by industry code, are in trades ranked on the pooled data. Pennsylvania’s own counts show where that ranking matters most here; they don’t change its order.

Trades that stand out in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’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 Pennsylvania: about 2,063 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade.

Pennsylvania citations

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

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 1,118
  2. 2Ladder safety · 334
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 133

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

Healthcare

Long-Term Care & Skilled Nursing

The Healthcare trade with the most citations at private worksites in Pennsylvania: about 258 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Healthcare makes up 2.2 times as large a share of Pennsylvania’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

Pennsylvania citations

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

  1. 1Respiratory protection · 122
  2. 2Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease · 24
  3. 3Reporting serious injuries & recordkeeping · 19

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

953 citations, about 4 deaths, about 2 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Respiratory protection
  2. 2Fall protection & working at heights
  3. 3Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease

Auto & Vehicle Services

Body Shop & Collision Repair

The Auto & Vehicle Services trade with the most citations at private worksites in Pennsylvania: about 174 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Auto & Vehicle Services makes up 1.8 times as large a share of Pennsylvania’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

Pennsylvania citations

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

  1. 1Respiratory protection · 86
  2. 2Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS) · 36
  3. 3Flammables, welding & hot work · 10

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

979 citations, about 4 deaths, about 3 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Respiratory protection
  2. 2Struck-by & falling objects
  3. 3Caught-in & caught-between

Manufacturing

Metal Fabrication & Welding

The Manufacturing trade with the most citations at private worksites in Pennsylvania: about 1,071 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Manufacturing makes up 1.6 times as large a share of Pennsylvania’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

Pennsylvania citations

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

  1. 1Machine guarding · 185
  2. 2Respiratory protection · 122
  3. 3Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy) · 112

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

2,349 citations, about 12 deaths, about 22 hospitalizations since October 2020

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

How My Safety Solution works in Pennsylvania

  • When you set up your company, you pick Pennsylvania. 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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