Most-cited OSHA standards in the Permian oil patch
Grouped by standard section. Descriptions are plain-English summaries, not legal text.
| # | Standard | What it means | Citations | Companies | Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1910.305 | Electrical wiring methods – flexible cords, junction boxes, covers and hazardous-location equipment. | 95 | 45 | $242,209 |
| 2 | 1910.134 | Respiratory protection – written program, medical evaluation, fit testing and proper respirators (H2S, silica, fumes). | 58 | 33 | $149,166 |
| 3 | 1910.303 | Electrical – general requirements (approved equipment, working space, marked disconnects, no damaged equipment). | 50 | 30 | $143,828 |
| 4 | 1910.28 | Fall protection – guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest required at 4 ft+ (e.g., rig floors, catwalks, tank tops). | 44 | 35 | $271,897 |
| 5 | OSH Act §5(a)(1) | General Duty Clause – employer must keep the workplace free of recognized serious hazards not covered by a specific standard (e.g., well-site fire, struck-by, H2S). | 41 | 32 | $351,616 |
| 6 | 1910.304 | Electrical wiring design & protection – grounding, GFCI and overcurrent protection. | 39 | 31 | $232,795 |
| 7 | 1910.147 | Lockout/tagout – controlling hazardous energy during servicing and maintenance. | 35 | 18 | $220,113 |
| 8 | 1910.1200 | Hazard Communication – written program, labels, Safety Data Sheets and employee training on chemicals. | 34 | 27 | $73,892 |
| 9 | 1910.151 | Medical services & first aid – first-aid supplies and emergency eyewash/shower where corrosives are used. | 28 | 26 | $95,751 |
| 10 | 1910.132 | Personal protective equipment – hazard assessment and providing PPE. | 28 | 24 | $157,384 |
| 11 | 1910.157 | Portable fire extinguishers – provision, inspection and training. | 26 | 20 | $35,716 |
| 12 | 1910.178 | Powered industrial trucks (forklifts, telehandlers) – operator training, inspection and safe operation. | 21 | 12 | $144,307 |
| 13 | 1910.184 | Slings – inspection and safe use of rigging (chains, wire rope, synthetic). | 14 | 11 | $87,654 |
| 14 | 1910.252 | Welding, cutting and brazing – fire prevention and general requirements. | 13 | 3 | $74,475 |
| 15 | 1910.133 | Eye and face protection. | 12 | 12 | $20,604 |
| 16 | 1910.22 | Walking-working surfaces – keeping floors, platforms and walkways clean, dry and free of trip hazards. | 11 | 7 | $41,349 |
| 17 | 1910.29 | Fall protection systems – criteria for guardrails, toeboards, covers and handrails. | 11 | 10 | $21,195 |
| 18 | 1910.25 | Stairways – design and condition of stairs. | 11 | 10 | $35,640 |
| 19 | 1910.146 | Permit-required confined spaces – tanks, vessels and pits (entry permits, atmospheric testing, rescue). | 11 | 4 | $38,125 |
| 20 | 1904.39 | Reporting fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations or eye loss to OSHA within the required 8/24 hours. | 10 | 10 | $39,323 |
| 21 | 1910.334 | Use of electrical equipment – inspecting cords and portable equipment before use. | 9 | 9 | $9,489 |
| 22 | 1926.251 | Construction standard 1926.251 – see osha.gov for full text. | 8 | 4 | $18,406 |
| 23 | 1910.140 | Personal fall protection systems – harnesses, lanyards and anchorages. | 8 | 6 | $38,826 |
| 24 | 1910.335 | Electrical protective equipment and safeguards for personnel. | 7 | 6 | $33,644 |
| 25 | 1910.243 | Guarding of portable powered tools. | 7 | 7 | $24,180 |
| 26 | 1910.179 | Overhead and gantry cranes. | 7 | 4 | $26,642 |
| 27 | 1910.145 | Accident prevention signs and tags. | 6 | 6 | $22,438 |
| 28 | 1910.30 | Training workers on fall hazards and equipment. | 6 | 6 | $20,302 |
| 29 | 1910.242 | Hand and portable powered tools; compressed air for cleaning limited to 30 psi. | 5 | 5 | $13,826 |
| 30 | 1910.106 | Flammable liquids – storage, handling and ignition-source control. | 5 | 5 | $30,872 |
| 31 | 1904.40 | Providing injury & illness records to OSHA inspectors when requested. | 5 | 5 | $3,119 |
| 32 | 1910.119 | Process Safety Management of highly hazardous chemicals (gas plants, compressor stations). | 4 | 2 | $22,446 |
| 33 | 1910.212 | Machine guarding – general requirements for guarding points of operation and moving parts. | 4 | 3 | $19,171 |
| 34 | 1910.180 | General Industry standard 1910.180 – see osha.gov for full text. | 4 | 3 | $26,851 |
| 35 | 1926.600 | Construction standard 1926.600 – see osha.gov for full text. | 3 | 2 | $23,895 |
| 36 | 1926.20 | Construction standard 1926.20 – see osha.gov for full text. | 3 | 3 | $20,333 |
| 37 | 1910.37 | Exit routes – maintenance, safeguards and signage. | 3 | 3 | $1,828 |
| 38 | 1926.602 | Construction standard 1926.602 – see osha.gov for full text. | 3 | 3 | $15,452 |
| 39 | 1910.333 | Electrical safe work practices – de-energizing and lockout before work on circuits. | 3 | 2 | $28,984 |
| 40 | 1926.21 | Construction safety training and education. | 3 | 3 | $12,175 |
| 41 | 1903.19 | Inspection/posting rule 1903.19 – see osha.gov for full text. | 3 | 2 | $3,025 |
| 42 | 1910.110 | Liquefied petroleum gas storage and handling. | 2 | 1 | $9,931 |
| 43 | 1910.38 | General Industry standard 1910.38 – see osha.gov for full text. | 2 | 1 | $6,810 |
| 44 | 1910.138 | General Industry standard 1910.138 – see osha.gov for full text. | 2 | 2 | $11,512 |
| 45 | 1910.107 | General Industry standard 1910.107 – see osha.gov for full text. | 2 | 1 | $2,406 |
| 46 | 1910.253 | Oxygen-fuel gas welding – cylinder storage and handling. | 2 | 2 | $10,143 |
| 47 | 1910.141 | Sanitation – toilets, washing facilities and housekeeping. | 2 | 2 | $2,812 |
| 48 | 1926.453 | Construction standard 1926.453 – see osha.gov for full text. | 2 | 1 | $30,000 |
| 49 | 1910.120 | General Industry standard 1910.120 – see osha.gov for full text. | 2 | 2 | $20,522 |
| 50 | 1910.176 | Materials handling and storage – stacking, clearances and housekeeping. | 2 | 2 | $15,297 |
| 51 | 1910.219 | Mechanical power transmission guarding – belts, pulleys, chains and sprockets. | 2 | 1 | $2,000 |
| 52 | 1904.7 | Recordkeeping & reporting rule 1904.7 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $2,364 |
| 53 | 1910.101 | General Industry standard 1910.101 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $6,620 |
| 54 | 1904.35 | Recordkeeping & reporting rule 1904.35 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $1,473 |
| 55 | 1910.215 | Abrasive wheel machinery (grinders) guarding. | 1 | 1 | $3,000 |
| 56 | 1926.952 | Construction standard 1926.952 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $2,700 |
| 57 | 1910.23 | Ladders – safe design, condition and use. | 1 | 1 | $877 |
| 58 | 1910.307 | Electrical equipment in hazardous (classified) locations – explosion-proof requirements near wellheads/tanks. | 1 | 1 | $6,148 |
| 59 | 1910.135 | Head protection – hard hats. | 1 | 1 | $1,366 |
| 60 | 1926.416 | Construction standard 1926.416 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| 61 | 1910.244 | General Industry standard 1910.244 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $10,533 |
| 62 | 1926.50 | Construction standard 1926.50 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $15,000 |
| 63 | 1910.169 | General Industry standard 1910.169 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $4,500 |
| 64 | 1910.39 | General Industry standard 1910.39 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $5,275 |
| 65 | 1926.501 | Construction fall protection – duty to protect at 6 ft+. | 1 | 1 | $5,908 |
| 66 | 1926.1425 | Construction standard 1926.1425 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $11,588 |
| 67 | 1926.352 | Construction standard 1926.352 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $11,588 |
| 68 | 1904.29 | Recording injuries/illnesses on the OSHA 300 log and 301 forms. | 1 | 1 | $968 |
| 69 | 1904.32 | Recordkeeping & reporting rule 1904.32 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $968 |
| 70 | 1910.332 | General Industry standard 1910.332 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $6,500 |
| 71 | 1910.254 | General Industry standard 1910.254 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $558 |
| 72 | 1926.28 | Construction standard 1926.28 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $4,729 |
| 73 | 1926.200 | Construction standard 1926.200 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $4,729 |
| 74 | 1910.136 | General Industry standard 1910.136 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $3,956 |
| 75 | 1926.404 | Construction standard 1926.404 – see osha.gov for full text. | 1 | 1 | $13,000 |
Disclaimer. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement database (data.dol.gov), filtered to oil & gas NAICS codes (211, 213111, 213112, 486, 237120) and Permian Basin counties by site ZIP/city. Citations and penalties are not final until a case is closed and may be contested, reduced or withdrawn. Company names are shown as recorded by OSHA and grouped by an automated name match; a name may match multiple distinct legal entities, and one company may appear under several names. Inspections in New Mexico occur under federal OSHA jurisdiction for private employers; Texas is a federal-OSHA state. This site is independent and not affiliated with OSHA or DOL. Verify any record at osha.gov before relying on it.