Compliance Risk Index / OSHA
Ladders (General Industry)
29 CFR 1910.23
Data coverage: 2023-01-01 through 2026-07-30 · Source: US DOL Open Data Portal
1,728
citations, 2023–2026
78.5%
Serious/Willful/Repeat
$5,886
average initial penalty
78.9%
at establishments under 100 employees
1,728 citations is enough real volume to say this standard gets enforced often, not just written. 78.5% of those citations were classified Serious, Willful, or Repeat by OSHA itself — the categories that carry the heaviest real penalties and the ones a Serious classification is meant to flag as an immediate hazard, not a paperwork gap. The average initial penalty on a cited case was $5,886, and 78.9% of citations landed on establishments the matching inspection recorded at under 100 employees — real exposure for smaller employers under this specific standard, not a general industry-wide claim.
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Source: US DOL Open Data Portal, OSHA Violation + Inspection extracts (data.dol.gov), 2023-01-01 through 2026-07-30. Federal 29 CFR citations only — state-plan programs (California, Washington, Oregon, and others) use their own citation codes and aren't included here. Full methodology and every other standard: the Compliance Risk Index.
Frequently asked questions
How many OSHA citations exist under 29 CFR 1910.23?
1,728 real citations from 2023-01-01 through 2026-07-30, sourced from the US DOL Open Data Portal.
What share of 29 CFR 1910.23 citations are classified Serious, Willful, or Repeat?
78.5% of citations under this standard carry OSHA's Serious, Willful, or Repeat classification -- the categories reserved for the heaviest real penalties.
Does this data cover state-plan OSHA programs like Cal/OSHA?
No. This covers federal 29 CFR citations only -- California, Washington, Oregon, and other state-plan programs use their own citation codes and are not included here.