State Plan · Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA)

Tennessee Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Tennessee runs its own State Plan, Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA), for private employers and state and local government. Enforcement records show 5,548 inspections at private worksites in Tennessee opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 19,021 citations.

Private employers
Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA)
State Plan
State and local government
Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA)
Same State Plan
Private-sector inspections
5,548
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Trades ranked on Tennessee data
61 of 262
The rest use the national pattern

Which safety rules apply in Tennessee

Tennessee runs its own OSHA-approved State Plan, Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA), under the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. It covers private employers and state and local government in Tennessee.

Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA) 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 Tennessee, and what hurts people

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

The hazard cited most at private worksites in Tennessee is Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS): 16% of the citations grouped by hazard, against 6% across federal OSHA states. Among the others, the hazard that stands out most is Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease: 5% here, 11.0 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Healthcare: 5% of Tennessee’s citations, 2.2 times its share across all states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in Tennessee

  1. Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS)2,532 citations
  2. Fall protection & working at heights1,366 citations
  3. Respiratory protection1,225 citations
  4. Electrical safety1,195 citations
  5. Personal protective equipment1,095 citations
  6. Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease790 citations

86% of the 19,021 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where Tennessee’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Manufacturing28% · about 4,301 · 1.8×
  2. Construction24% · about 3,650
  3. Residential & Commercial Services8% · about 1,237
  4. Food Service & Hospitality6% · about 941 · 1.5×
  5. Healthcare5% · about 840 · 2.2×
  6. Warehousing & Distribution4% · about 690

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 Tennessee

A trade is scheduled from the ranking built from Tennessee’s own citations when Tennessee has 150 or more citations for it since October 2020. That is true for 61 of 262 trades, which hold 56% of Tennessee’s citations by industry code. The other 201 use the national pattern, built from 525,000+ OSHA citations nationwide, the most reliable data available where a state’s own sample is smaller, with Tennessee’s own counts shown alongside (96 with a smaller Tennessee sample, 66 with some citations, 39 with none yet).

Trades with the most citations in Tennessee

The most-cited trades in Tennessee’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.

Utilities & Public Works

Water Treatment & Distribution

The Utilities & Public Works trade with the most Tennessee citations in the plan data: 971 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Tennessee's own ranking (971 citations since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Tennessee dataDrives the schedule

971 citations since October 2020

  1. 1Electrical safety · 335 citations
  2. 2Fire extinguishers · 106 citations
  3. 3Confined spaces · 53 citations

Nationwide

4,383 citations, about 16 deaths, about 11 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Electrical safety · 744 citations, about 3 deaths
  2. 2Struck-by & falling objects · 0 citations, about 3 deaths
  3. 3Mobile equipment, haulage & jobsite vehicles · 2 citations, about 1 death

Education

K-12 Public School

The Education trade with the most Tennessee citations in the plan data: 948 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Tennessee's own ranking (948 citations, about 1 death and about 1 hospitalization since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Tennessee dataDrives the schedule

948 citations, about 1 death, about 1 hospitalization since October 2020

  1. 1Electrical safety · 486 citations
  2. 2Slips, trips & walking surfaces · 4 citations, about 1 death
  3. 3Fall protection & working at heights · 17 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

Construction

Roofing

The Construction trade with the most Tennessee citations in the plan data: 487 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Tennessee's own ranking (487 citations, about 10 deaths and about 2 hospitalizations since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Tennessee dataDrives the schedule

487 citations, about 10 deaths, about 2 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 239 citations, about 7 deaths
  2. 2Ladder safety · 91 citations, about 1 death
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 37 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

Healthcare

Dental Office

The Healthcare trade with the most Tennessee citations in the plan data: 468 since October 2020.

Your schedule uses Tennessee's own ranking (468 citations since October 2020). The national ranking is shown alongside.

Tennessee dataDrives the schedule

468 citations since October 2020

  1. 1Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease · 310 citations
  2. 2First aid & emergency medical response · 25 citations
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 14 citations

Nationwide

1,382 citations, about 1 death, about 1 hospitalization since October 2020

  1. 1Bloodborne pathogens & infectious disease · 761 citations
  2. 2Personal protective equipment · 68 citations
  3. 3First aid & emergency medical response · 35 citations

How My Safety Solution works in Tennessee

  • When you set up your company, you pick Tennessee. The app then applies Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA) and builds your tailgate talk schedule from the ranking built from Tennessee’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 Tennessee’s own state rules, so check those with Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA) 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 Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA)’s own recordkeeping rules for anything it adds. Guidance, not legal advice.
  • Help with a written program or a Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA) citation: consulting, as advice and guidance, requested from your account. Our team’s credentials include CHST, OSHA 500, OSHA 10 & 30.

About our safety consulting

Start your Tennessee schedule

15-day free trial. No credit card required.

Create Account / Start Free TrialSign In

More states and next steps

Neighboring states