Federal OSHA

Wisconsin Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

Private employers in Wisconsin fall under federal OSHA. Enforcement records show 8,443 inspections at private worksites in Wisconsin opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 16,515 citations.

Private employers
Federal OSHA
29 CFR
State and local government
No OSHA coverage
No State Plan for public employers
Private-sector inspections
8,443
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Trades ranked on own data
Pooled federal ranking
All federal OSHA states

Which safety rules apply in Wisconsin

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, and what hurts people

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

The hazard cited most at private worksites in Wisconsin is Fall protection & working at heights: 23% of the citations grouped by hazard, against 22% across federal OSHA states. Among the others, the hazard that stands out most is Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy): 11% here, 2.1 times its share across federal OSHA states. The industry that stands out most is Manufacturing: 27% of Wisconsin’s citations, 1.6 times its share across federal OSHA states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in Wisconsin

  1. Fall protection & working at heights3,470 citations
  2. Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy)1,633 citations
  3. Machine guarding1,258 citations
  4. Ladder safety1,080 citations
  5. Personal protective equipment929 citations
  6. Forklifts & powered industrial trucks870 citations

91% of the 16,515 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where Wisconsin’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Construction33% · about 4,317
  2. Manufacturing27% · about 3,553 · 1.6×
  3. Residential & Commercial Services20% · about 2,612
  4. Warehousing & Distribution3% · about 454
  5. Utilities & Public Works2% · about 259
  6. Auto & Vehicle Services2% · about 241

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 Wisconsin

The schedule for Wisconsin 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. 97% of Wisconsin’s citations, by industry code, are in trades ranked on the pooled data. Wisconsin’s own counts show where that ranking matters most here; they don’t change its order.

Trades that stand out in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’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 Wisconsin: about 4,184 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade.

Wisconsin citations

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

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 2,185
  2. 2Ladder safety · 710
  3. 3Personal protective equipment · 411

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

Manufacturing

Wood Products & Furniture

The Manufacturing trade with the most citations at private worksites in Wisconsin: about 1,060 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade. Manufacturing makes up 1.6 times as large a share of Wisconsin’s citations as across federal OSHA states.

Wisconsin citations

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

  1. 1Lockout/tagout (hazardous energy) · 245
  2. 2Machine guarding · 221
  3. 3Electrical safety · 75

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

Residential & Commercial Services

Painting - Commercial

The Residential & Commercial Services trade with the most citations at private worksites in Wisconsin: about 87 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade.

Wisconsin citations

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

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights · 17
  2. 2Respiratory protection · 14
  3. 3Scaffolds · 13

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

1,702 citations, about 31 deaths, about 4 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Fall protection & working at heights
  2. 2Flammables, welding & hot work
  3. 3Scaffolds

Warehousing & Distribution

General Warehousing

The Warehousing & Distribution trade with the most citations at private worksites in Wisconsin: about 128 since October 2020, at employers whose industry code belongs to this trade.

Wisconsin citations

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

  1. 1Forklifts & powered industrial trucks · 46
  2. 2Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS) · 10
  3. 3Reporting serious injuries & recordkeeping · 9

Federal OSHA statesDrives the schedule

2,762 citations, about 30 deaths, about 51 hospitalizations since October 2020

  1. 1Forklifts & powered industrial trucks
  2. 2Electrical safety
  3. 3Caught-in & caught-between

How My Safety Solution works in Wisconsin

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