OSHA Compliance Guide: Construction

Construction accounts for roughly 20% of all worker fatalities in the U.S. every year. The "Fatal Four" — falls, struck-by, caught-in/between, and electrocution — cause the overwhelming majority of those deaths. OSHA's construction standards (29 CFR Part 1926) exist to address exactly these hazards, and inspectors enforce them aggressively on active job sites.

The Fatal Four

OSHA uses this term to describe the four hazards responsible for the most construction fatalities. Understanding and controlling them is the foundation of any construction safety program.

1. Falls

Falls are the leading cause of death in construction — accounting for roughly a third of all construction fatalities. The OSHA fall protection standard (29 CFR 1926.501) has been the most-cited OSHA standard every year for 14 consecutive years. Required at 6 feet above a lower level. See our full fall protection guide for complete requirements.

2. Struck-By

Workers struck by vehicles, equipment, tools, or falling objects. Key controls include maintaining exclusion zones around equipment, requiring high-visibility clothing near vehicle traffic, securing tools and materials at height, and never working beneath suspended loads.

3. Caught-In/Between

Workers caught in or between machinery, equipment, or collapsing structures. Trenching and excavation collapses, unguarded equipment, and equipment rollovers are the most common scenarios. Protective systems are required for excavations 5 feet or deeper.

4. Electrocution

Contact with overhead power lines is the most common electrocution hazard on construction sites. Maintain minimum clearance distances from energized lines — 10 feet for lines up to 50kV, more for higher voltages. Always assume overhead lines are energized.

Most-Cited OSHA Standards in Construction (2024)

Required Written Programs for Construction Employers

Depending on the work performed, construction employers may be required to maintain all or most of these written programs:

• Hazard Communication Program — required if any hazardous chemicals are used or stored on site
• Fall Protection Plan — required when conventional fall protection is not feasible for specific tasks
• Emergency Action Plan — required for most employers
• Excavation and Trenching Safety Plan — required for trench work
• Silica Control Plan — required when workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica above action levels
• Confined Space Program — required when permit-required confined spaces are present
• Lockout/Tagout Program — required when workers service or maintain equipment

Scaffolding Requirements

Scaffolds must be designed and built to support at least four times the maximum intended load. Platforms must be fully planked. Fall protection is required at 10 feet and above on scaffolds — guardrails, personal fall arrest systems, or both depending on scaffold type. A competent person must inspect scaffolding before each work shift and after any event that could affect structural integrity.

Excavation and Trenching

Trenching is one of construction's most deadly hazards. A cubic yard of soil weighs up to 3,000 pounds — a trench collapse can bury a worker in seconds, faster than any rescue response. Protective systems are required for all excavations 5 feet or deeper, and required for any excavation where there is a potential for cave-in regardless of depth.

Three protective systems are acceptable:

• Sloping — cutting back the trench wall at an angle that provides stability based on soil type
• Shoring — installing support structures (timber, aluminum hydraulic) to prevent wall collapse
• Shielding — using a trench box to protect workers within the excavation

A competent person must classify soil type before determining which protective system to use and must inspect the excavation daily and after any rain event.

Multi-Employer Worksites

Construction sites frequently involve multiple employers working simultaneously. OSHA's multi-employer worksite policy means that more than one employer can be cited for the same hazard. General contractors can be cited for hazards created by subcontractors if the GC had supervisory authority over the work area. Subcontractors can be cited for exposing their workers to hazards created by the GC or other subs.

Best practice: establish written safety requirements for all subcontractors, conduct joint safety orientations, and maintain documented site safety inspections.

Silica Dust

OSHA's silica standard (29 CFR 1926.1153) applies to construction work involving materials that contain crystalline silica — concrete cutting, grinding, drilling, and demolition. Employers must limit worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour TWA. Compliance is typically achieved through the Table 1 method (following engineering controls specified in the standard) or through exposure assessment and controls.

Pre-Inspection Checklist for Construction Sites

• Fall protection in place at all leading edges, floor openings, and scaffolds above threshold heights
• All workers trained on fall hazards and protection systems — training documented
• Ladders inspected, properly set up, extending 3 feet above landing
• Scaffolding inspected by competent person this shift
• Excavations protected with appropriate system and inspected today
• Workers have and are wearing required PPE (hard hats, eye protection, hi-vis)
• HazCom program and SDS accessible on site
• Emergency action plan posted and communicated to all workers
• Overhead power line clearances maintained
• Equipment operators trained and evaluated
• OSHA 300 log current (if recordkeeping required)
• OSHA poster displayed