Federal OSHA

Rhode Island Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Private employers in Rhode Island fall under federal OSHA. Enforcement records show 2,300 inspections at private worksites in Rhode Island opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 4,035 citations.

Private employers
Federal OSHA
29 CFR
State and local government
No OSHA coverage
No State Plan for public employers
Private-sector inspections
2,300
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Trades ranked on own data
Pooled federal ranking
All federal OSHA states

Which safety rules apply in Rhode Island

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island, and what hurts people

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

The hazard cited most at private worksites in Rhode Island is Fall protection & working at heights: 16% 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, 1.5 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Food Service & Hospitality: 4% of Rhode Island’s citations, 2.0 times its share across federal OSHA states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in Rhode Island

  1. Fall protection & working at heights561 citations
  2. Personal protective equipment311 citations
  3. Respiratory protection266 citations
  4. Scaffolds265 citations
  5. Electrical safety243 citations
  6. Ladder safety226 citations

86% of the 4,035 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where Rhode Island’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Construction32% · about 1,032
  2. Residential & Commercial Services20% · about 660
  3. Manufacturing16% · about 520
  4. Warehousing & Distribution5% · about 164 · 1.3×
  5. Food Service & Hospitality4% · about 136 · 2.0×
  6. Janitorial & Facility Services4% · about 118 · 1.9×

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 Rhode Island

The schedule for Rhode Island 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. 96% of Rhode Island’s citations, by industry code, are in trades ranked on the pooled data. Rhode Island’s own counts show where that ranking matters most here; they don’t change its order.

Trades that stand out in Rhode Island

Rhode Island’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 Rhode Island: about 633 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade.

Rhode Island citations

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

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 247
  2. 2Ladder safety · 105
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 65

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

Food Service & Hospitality

Bakery & Specialty Food Production

The Food Service & Hospitality trade with the most citations at private worksites in Rhode Island: about 61 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Food Service & Hospitality makes up 2.0 times as large a share of Rhode Island’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

Rhode Island citations

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

  1. 1Machine guarding · 10
  2. 2Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy) · 9
  3. 3Electrical safety · 9

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

417 citations, about 3 deaths, about 11 hospitalizations since October 2020

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

Mining & Quarrying

Stone Cutting & Processing

The Mining & Quarrying trade with the most citations at private worksites in Rhode Island: about 94 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Mining & Quarrying makes up 1.7 times as large a share of Rhode Island’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

Rhode Island citations

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

  1. 1Respiratory protection · 27
  2. 2Silica dust · 15
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 9

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

3,417 citations, about 13 deaths, about 4 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Silica dust
  2. 2Struck-by & falling objects
  3. 3Respiratory protection

Retail

Grocery & Supermarket

The Retail trade with the most citations at private worksites in Rhode Island: about 34 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Retail makes up 1.4 times as large a share of Rhode Island’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

Rhode Island citations

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

  1. 1Emergency action & fire prevention · 6
  2. 2Slips, trips & walking surfaces · 5
  3. 3Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS) · 5

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

1,143 citations, about 17 deaths, about 22 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Machine guarding
  2. 2Electrical safety
  3. 3Forklifts & powered industrial trucks

How My Safety Solution works in Rhode Island

  • When you set up your company, you pick Rhode Island. 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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