OSHA compliance for manufacturing, built on the enforcement record.
OSHA compliance for manufacturing means staying current on the machine guarding, lockout/tagout, and hazard communication standards that carry one of the heaviest enforcement loads in the federal record. From metal fabrication to food processing, Cairn keeps your team grounded in the manufacturing OSHA standards — and the ergonomic exposures — that drive most of the lost-time injuries in NAICS 31–33.
The standards your inspector opens first
Most cited in Manufacturing (NAICS 31–33). Every reference links to the standard on osha.gov.
Lockout/Tagout
29 CFR 1910.147Machine guarding (general)
29 CFR 1910.212Hazard Communication
29 CFR 1910.1200Powered industrial trucks
29 CFR 1910.178Wiring methods
29 CFR 1910.305The questions that won't go away
The compliance questions Manufacturing teams bring us again and again. Cairn answers each one with the standard, the citation, and the source you can open.
Machine guarding & energy control across multi-line facilities
Hazard communication for new chemicals and reformulations
Ergonomic exposures on repetitive assembly stations
PIT/forklift program documentation and refresher cadence
PSM coverage decisions for facilities crossing the threshold
A question Cairn answers in seconds
"We have a robotic cell that only needs a quick die swap — do we still have to do full lockout every time?"
- Industry
- Manufacturing (NAICS 31–33)
- Cites
- Lockout/Tagout enforcement directive
- Ref
- Agency interpretation
Plays that pay back the subscription
Pre-inspection prep
Pull prior inspections of your facility, and inspections in your NAICS within 100 miles, to anticipate what the inspector will ask first.
New-line commissioning
Generate a written hazard analysis grounded in the standards that have been cited for similar equipment.
Contractor onboarding
Verify each contractor's enforcement history and citation pattern before the gate opens.
Go deeper on Manufacturing risk: see the OSHA citation-risk data for your NAICS code, compare your numbers with TRIR and DART benchmarking by industry, or search the full OSHA enforcement record for inspections and violations in your sector.
Manufacturing OSHA compliance, answered
Which OSHA standards are cited most in manufacturing?
Lockout/tagout (29 CFR 1910.147) and machine guarding (29 CFR 1910.212) lead manufacturing citations, followed by hazard communication (1910.1200) and powered industrial trucks (1910.178). Cairn ranks the standards most cited in NAICS 31–33 from the live enforcement record so you can prioritize the right programs.
Does OSHA require a written lockout/tagout program for manufacturers?
Yes. 29 CFR 1910.147 requires documented energy-control procedures, periodic inspections, and training for most manufacturing equipment. See our lockout/tagout requirements guide for the full breakdown, with the controlling CFR text cited.
How do I benchmark my manufacturing facility against OSHA citation risk?
Enter your NAICS code in the free citation-risk tool to see the standards cited most in your industry, or use Cairn benchmarking to compare your TRIR and DART rate against peer manufacturers.
Browse all OSHA compliance solutions by industry.