OSHA Standards: General Industry (1910) vs Construction (1926)
OSHA's workplace safety standards are organized into two main parts of the Code of Federal Regulations: 29 CFR Part 1910 for general industry, and 29 CFR Part 1926 for construction. This article compares the two by the enforcement records: how many citations each drew, how that moved from 2021 to 2025, the penalties involved, and the most cited standards within each.
Counts come from the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement dataset, by citation issuance year, federal and state-plan programs combined, delete-flagged records excluded. Figures center on 2024, the last fully settled year, and were retrieved June 2026.
Key findings
- General industry standards (29 CFR 1910) drew more citations than construction (29 CFR 1926) in 2024: 57,558 vs 35,577.
- The single most cited standard is a construction one, fall protection (1926.501), cited 8,797 times.
- Construction citations carried more penalty dollars on average. In 2024 the two families' total penalties were close, $142.6 million (general industry) and $131.8 million (construction), despite general industry having far more citations.
- General industry citations rose to a 2024 peak then eased in 2025; construction held in the mid-30,000s across 2021 to 2025.
The split, 2021 to 2025
| Year | General industry (1910) | Construction (1926) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41,183 | 35,043 |
| 2022 | 49,813 | 34,795 |
| 2023 | 56,445 | 38,377 |
| 2024 | 57,558 | 35,577 |
| 2025* | 53,222 | 34,983 |
General industry citations climbed from 41,183 in 2021 to a peak of 57,558 in 2024, then eased to 53,222 in 2025. Construction stayed in the mid-30,000s throughout.
*2025 is preliminary; recent-year counts are near final but can rise slightly as records finalize.
Penalties: construction costs more per citation
Although general industry is cited far more often, the two families' total penalties were close in 2024. General industry standards drew $142.6 million in current penalties across 57,558 citations, about $2,500 per citation, while construction standards drew $131.8 million across 35,577 citations, about $3,700 per citation. Fall protection (1926.501) alone accounted for $53.8 million of the construction total.
What each part covers, and how they relate
29 CFR Part 1910 (eCFR) holds the general industry standards, which apply to most non-construction workplaces such as manufacturing, warehousing, and healthcare. 29 CFR Part 1926 (eCFR) holds the construction standards. Which part applies depends on the type of work being performed, not on the employer. Some hazards appear in both under different sections; for example, eye and face protection is 1910.133 in general industry and 1926.102 in construction. An employer whose work spans both can be subject to standards from each.
Most cited general industry (1910) standards, 2024
| Standard | Title | 2024 citations | 2024 penalties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910.1200 | Hazard Communication | 8,184 | $7.7M |
| 1910.134 | Respiratory Protection | 5,350 | $6.3M |
| 1910.147 | Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) | 4,713 | $24.0M |
| 1910.178 | Powered Industrial Trucks | 3,710 | $9.7M |
| 1910.303 | Electrical, General Requirements | 2,904 | $4.8M |
| 1910.305 | Electrical, Wiring Methods | 2,718 | $3.4M |
| 1910.212 | Machine Guarding, General | 2,697 | $16.8M |
| 1910.157 | Portable Fire Extinguishers | 2,138 | $1.2M |
| 1910.132 | Personal Protective Equipment, General | 2,030 | $3.5M |
| 1910.37 | Exit Routes, Maintenance and Safeguards | 1,497 | $3.7M |
Most cited construction (1926) standards, 2024
| Standard | Title | 2024 citations | 2024 penalties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926.501 | Fall Protection, Duty to Have | 8,797 | $53.8M |
| 1926.1053 | Ladders | 3,734 | $11.0M |
| 1926.503 | Fall Protection, Training | 3,488 | $5.8M |
| 1926.451 | Scaffolding, General Requirements | 2,654 | $9.6M |
| 1926.102 | Eye and Face Protection | 2,492 | $7.7M |
| 1926.20 | General Safety and Health Provisions | 1,465 | $5.0M |
| 1926.100 | Head Protection | 1,280 | $2.9M |
| 1926.1153 | Respirable Crystalline Silica | 1,125 | $1.8M |
| 1926.502 | Fall Protection Systems Criteria | 1,121 | $2.8M |
| 1926.651 | Excavations, Specific Requirements | 902 | $4.4M |
Related
For the official combined Top 10, see our most cited standards report. For the full filterable list, see most cited standards. For a sector view, see construction vs manufacturing. State-plan states such as California, Washington, and Oregon use their own code systems and are not folded into these federal counts.
Methodology and sources
Citation counts and penalties are from the U.S. DOL OSHA enforcement dataset (developer.dol.gov), counted by citation issuance date, federal and state-plan programs combined under each federal code, delete-flagged records excluded, aggregated to the standard level. Counts use codes beginning 1910 (general industry) and 1926 (construction). Penalty values are current penalties on record, rounded; per-citation figures are total penalties divided by total citations. Standard titles are from OSHA standard references. Regulatory text: Office of the Federal Register, eCFR Title 29, Parts 1910 and 1926. No records are estimated.
29 CFR 1910 is the general industry standards; 29 CFR 1926 is the construction standards.
General industry (1910) drew more total citations in 2024 (57,558 vs 35,577), but the single most cited standard is construction fall protection, 1926.501.
In 2024, construction standards averaged about $3,700 per citation versus about $2,500 for general industry, so the two families' total penalties were close despite the citation gap.
29 CFR 1926 applies to construction work. An employer doing construction follows 1926 for that work, while 1910 covers general industry.
Data Source and Methodology
Data synced dailyData on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA enforcement database, accessed via the DOL public data API. Records are updated daily. We strive for accuracy, but errors in data processing or establishment grouping are possible. Penalty amounts reflect the latest penalty amounts on record in the DOL database and may differ from initial assessments or final amounts after informal conference, settlement, or judicial review. Company pages group inspection records by normalized employer name, city, and state as reported in OSHA records. That grouping is deterministic and non-fuzzy, but it is not a universal legal-entity identifier. If you believe any record is inaccurate, please report it and we will investigate. This product uses the DOL Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the DOL. For official and authoritative records, visit osha.gov.