Construction Industry OSHA Enforcement Data
Construction is the most cited industry by OSHA, accounting for hundreds of thousands of inspections and billions in penalties. This report aggregates enforcement records across 532,749 inspected facilities, ranking the most penalized companies, most cited standards, and highest-enforcement states.
Construction Violation Standards by Citation Count
Citations and penalty amounts from OSHA public enforcement records. See the full top 10 OSHA violations guide →
Top 10 Construction Companies by Total OSHA Penalties
| # | Company | Violations | Total Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keystone Construction & Maintenance Middletown, CT |
112 | $6,550,000 |
| 2 | Wagner Construction Inc Minot, ND |
17 | $1,860,000 |
| 3 | Thomas Industrial Coatings Kansas City, MO |
43 | $1,490,000 |
| 4 | Atlantic Coast Utilities / Advanced Utilities Boston, MA |
32 | $1,350,000 |
| 5 | ALJ Home Improvement Inc Spring Valley, NY |
12 | $1,340,000 |
| 6 | Sound Construction Inc Stamford, CT |
11 | $1,220,000 |
| 7 | O&G Industries Heavy/Civil Middletown, CT |
144 | $1,210,000 |
| 8 | Adrian Construction Group Franklin Lakes, NJ |
10 | $1,020,000 |
| 9 | Total Safety U.S. Benicia, CA |
17 | $988,000 |
| 10 | Shawn D. Purvis Portland, ME |
11 | $888,000 |
Penalty data aggregated from all OSHA inspection records for each establishment. Learn more about how OSHA penalties work →
Top 10 States by Construction Penalties
View all 50 state enforcement profiles →
Why Construction Is the Most Cited Industry by OSHA
With 532,749 facilities inspected and $1.92 billion in total penalties, the construction industry dominates OSHA enforcement records by a wide margin. Several structural factors make construction uniquely high-risk:
1. Working at heights. Fall protection (1926.501) alone accounts for 214,353 citations and $518 million in penalties — more than any other single standard across all industries. Residential and commercial construction routinely requires work at elevations of 6 feet or higher, where fall protection systems are legally required but often improperly implemented.
2. Decentralized work environments. Construction projects are inherently temporary. Unlike fixed-site industries like manufacturing, construction crews move between jobsites, making consistent safety program implementation difficult. Each new project introduces new hazards, layouts, and contractor combinations.
3. Multi-employer worksites. A typical construction project involves a general contractor, multiple specialty subcontractors, and sometimes dozens of independent crews. Under OSHA's multi-employer citation policy, multiple companies can be cited for the same hazard — amplifying the total violation count.
4. High workforce turnover. The construction industry experiences annual workforce turnover rates exceeding 60%. New workers, temporary laborers, and day hires may lack site-specific safety training, increasing both accident risk and the likelihood of OSHA citations during inspections.
5. The "Fatal Four." OSHA identifies four hazard categories responsible for the majority of construction fatalities: falls, struck-by-object incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between accidents. These correspond directly to the most cited standards: fall protection, scaffolding, ladders, and electrical safety — all heavily represented in the data above.
Common Compliance Gaps in Construction
High-Frequency Gaps
- Inadequate fall protection systems — guardrails missing, improperly anchored harnesses, or no fall protection plan above 6 ft
- Scaffolding not meeting standards — missing mid-rails, toe boards, or exceeding load capacity
- Ladder misuse — wrong ladder type, improper angle, damaged equipment still in service
- Missing hazard communication program — no SDS binders, unlabeled containers, workers not trained on chemical hazards
- No hard hats in active work zones — 40,093 head protection citations demonstrate widespread non-compliance
High-Penalty Gaps
- Willful violations of fall protection — knowingly failing to provide fall arrest when the hazard was previously identified
- Repeat violations — same standard cited multiple times across inspections triggers penalty multipliers
- Electrical safety failures — live-wire exposure, improper grounding, missing GFCIs on jobsites
- Trenching & excavation hazards — unshored trenches deeper than 5 ft, no protective systems
- Respiratory protection gaps — silica dust exposure without fit-tested respirators or medical evaluations
Based on analysis of 1.65M violation records in the construction industry. Learn how OSHA complaints trigger inspections →
Construction Safety Resources
Search Construction Facilities
Look up any construction company's OSHA inspection history, violations, and penalty records in our database of 2.3 million facilities.
Search FacilitiesConstruction Industry OSHA FAQ
Coverage: All construction industry NAICS codes (23xxxx) across all 50 states and U.S. territories
Last updated: July 2026
Methodology: Penalties and violations are aggregated from individual OSHA inspection records. Learn about our methodology