State Plan · Puerto Rico OSHA

Puerto Rico Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Puerto Rico runs its own State Plan, Puerto Rico OSHA, for private employers and commonwealth and municipal government. Enforcement records show 4,746 inspections at private worksites in Puerto Rico opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 6,810 citations.

Private employers
Puerto Rico OSHA
State Plan
Commonwealth and municipal government
Puerto Rico OSHA
Same State Plan
Private-sector inspections
4,746
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Hazard ranking
National + Puerto Rico data
Built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide

Which safety rules apply in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico runs its own OSHA-approved State Plan, Puerto Rico OSHA, under the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources, PR OSHA. It covers private employers and commonwealth and municipal government in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico, and what hurts people

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

The hazard cited most at private worksites in Puerto Rico is Electrical safety: 15% of the citations grouped by hazard, against 6% across federal OSHA states. Among the others, the hazard that stands out most is Field sanitation, water & washing: 3% here, 13.7 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Healthcare: 11% of Puerto Rico’s citations, 4.6 times its share across all states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in Puerto Rico

  1. Electrical safety776 citations
  2. Personal protective equipment633 citations
  3. Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS)553 citations
  4. Slips, trips & walking surfaces328 citations
  5. Fall protection & working at heights328 citations
  6. Emergency action & fire prevention279 citations

77% of the 6,810 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard; the rest are under Puerto Rico’s own standards and aren’t counted here.

Where Puerto Rico’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Construction16% · about 933
  2. Food Service & Hospitality12% · about 674 · 2.8×
  3. Healthcare11% · about 649 · 4.6×
  4. Retail10% · about 585 · 3.6×
  5. Manufacturing9% · about 534
  6. Janitorial & Facility Services7% · about 402 · 2.5×

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 Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s schedule combines two sources. A trade is ranked on Puerto Rico’s own citations once Puerto Rico has 150 or more for it since October 2020; 8 trades qualify today, which hold 15% of Puerto Rico’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. Puerto Rico’s own counts are shown alongside (92 trades with a smaller Puerto Rico sample, 111 with some citations, 51 with none yet).

Trades with the most citations in Puerto Rico

The most-cited trades in Puerto Rico’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

General Construction

The Construction trade with the most Puerto Rico citations in the plan data: 309 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Puerto Rico's own ranking (about 309 citations and about 1 death since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Puerto Rico dataDrives the schedule

309 citations, about 1 death since October 2020

  1. 1Electrical safety · 62 citations
  2. 2Fall protection & working at heights · 59 citations
  3. 3Scaffolds · 57 citations

Nationwide

11,017 citations, about 121 deaths, about 57 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 2,984 citations, about 48 deaths
  2. 2Scaffolds · 1,355 citations, about 6 deaths
  3. 3Ladder safety · 945 citations, about 8 deaths

Education

K-12 Public School

The Education trade with the most Puerto Rico citations in the plan data: 281 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Puerto Rico's own ranking (281 citations since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Puerto Rico dataDrives the schedule

281 citations since October 2020

  1. 1Fire extinguishers · 60 citations
  2. 2Slips, trips & walking surfaces · 58 citations
  3. 3Electrical safety · 39 citations

Nationwide

4,812 citations, about 19 deaths, about 31 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 188 citations, about 4 deaths
  2. 2Electrical safety · 1,111 citations
  3. 3Slips, trips & walking surfaces · 179 citations, about 3 deaths

Retail

Grocery & Supermarket

The Retail trade with the most Puerto Rico citations in the plan data: 252 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Puerto Rico's own ranking (252 citations since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Puerto Rico dataDrives the schedule

252 citations since October 2020

  1. 1Personal protective equipment · 52 citations
  2. 2Electrical safety · 36 citations
  3. 3Slips, trips & walking surfaces · 29 citations

Nationwide

3,368 citations, about 27 deaths, about 58 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Machine guarding · 282 citations, about 1 death
  2. 2Electrical safety · 739 citations, about 1 death
  3. 3Forklifts & powered industrial trucks · 310 citations, about 1 death

Food Service & Hospitality

Restaurant - Full Service

The Food Service & Hospitality trade with the most Puerto Rico citations in the plan data: 187 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Puerto Rico's own ranking (187 citations and 2 deaths since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Puerto Rico dataDrives the schedule

187 citations, about 2 deaths since October 2020

  1. 1Flammables, welding & hot work · 3 citations, about 2 deaths
  2. 2Electrical safety · 42 citations
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 32 citations

Nationwide

2,522 citations, about 24 deaths, about 22 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 60 citations, about 4 deaths
  2. 2Slips, trips & walking surfaces · 143 citations, about 2 deaths
  3. 3Electrical safety · 394 citations

How My Safety Solution works in Puerto Rico

  • When you set up your company, you pick Puerto Rico. The app then applies Puerto Rico OSHA and builds your tailgate talk schedule from the ranking built from Puerto Rico’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 Puerto Rico’s own state rules, so check those with Puerto Rico OSHA for your worksites.
  • With no federal or state standard for them, heat illness prevention (May 1 – Sep 30) 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 Puerto Rico OSHA’s own recordkeeping rules for anything it adds. Guidance, not legal advice.
  • Help with a written program or a Puerto Rico 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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