The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) publishes an annual list of the 10 most frequent occurrences of workplace safety and health violations. The list is compiled based on data gathered from 32,000 workplace inspections made by OSHA staff.
It appears that workplaces are committing the same offences year after year, which causes death and severe injury.
The 10 most common violations are the following:
- Fall Protection, General Requirements (1926.501) – Failure to offer fall protection remains the top violation since 2017.
- Risk Communication (1910,1200) – Lack of risk communication programs, employee training, and provision of corresponding safety data sheets.
- Scaffolding, General Requirements (1926,451) – Use of unstable platforms and improper scaffolding locations at construction sites, resulting in fall deaths.
- Respiratory protection (1910,134) – Absence of respiratory protection programs and essential fit tests.
- Locking / Signalling (1910,147) – Lack of energy control programs, employee training, and absence of lockout/signalling during operations.
- Stairs (1926.1053) – Use of stairs in poor condition and not extending the rail three feet above the landing.
- Industrial Motor Vehicles (1910,178) – Use of substandard industrial vehicles and lack of certified operators.
- Fall Protection, Training Requirements (1926.503) – Lack of fall protection training.
- Machine Protection (1910,212) – Failure to protect the operating point.
- Personal Protective and Rescue Equipment, Face and Eye Protection (1926.102) – A new addition to this list. Roofing contractors are serial offenders.
Although employers are legally responsible for providing safe and healthy work environments, 4,500 workers die each year, and 3 million are injured. If all businesses have a hazard prevention strategy in place: deaths, amputations, and hospitalizations will be drastically reduced.
Fall fatalities are high among construction workers, with regulators seeing a high number of violations regarding use of ladders and scaffoldings.
Many workers have been killed or suffered serious injury when machines abruptly start-up during repair, or when their hands are exposed to moving mechanical parts. These mishaps can be avoided by having proper blocking systems and labelling. Adequate lockout and tag-out procedures make sure machines remain switched off and cannot be switched if someone is working on them. By installing machine guards, body exposure to moving machinery parts will be reduced.
Asbestos, silica, and several other toxins inhaled over lengthy periods of time are problematic, necessitating the use of respiratory protection. However, regulators have observed that very few businesses provide adequate protective equipment or training to their employees.
Many employees are not fully educated to use forklifts properly, as shown by the high incidence of fatalities and violations associated to this sort of equipment. Electricity safety is number 10 on the list of major infractions and hazardous to both persons and property.
Create a response plan
Accidents do happen, unfortunately. A disaster must be prepared for if one were to occur at your company. Keep these points in mind while constructing an action plan:
1. Provide help
In the heat of the moment, responders often find themselves unsure about what to do. Ensure rapid and simple access to first aid or obtaining medical treatment.
2. Report the incident
A system must be created to document all incidences reported to your business. Additionally, you must keep a record of these incidents and send it to your insurer.
3. Identify ways to avoid the accident in the future
To ensure compliance with OSHA guidelines, type of training, different products and signage and maintenance practices can be identified.
The OSHA regulations cover a wide range of hazards, all of which pose risks to the health and safety of workers. Employers should go beyond the legal requirements and make a lasting contribution to fostering a culture of workplace safety, which reduces costs, increases productivity, and improves employee morale.
To get more details about OSHA courses visit OSHA outreach courses.
