OSHA releases top workplace safety citations for 2018
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HOUSTON — With one newcomer to the list — eye and face protection — and half of the violations coming from the construction industry, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday announced the preliminary top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2018.
Fall protection, a general requirements standard, was named the top violation, its fifth straight year at the top with 7,270 violations, according to Patrick Kapust, Washington, D.C.-based deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, who presented the list at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo in Houston.
Other top violations included:
2. Hazard communication: 4,552 violations
3. Scaffolding: 3,336 violations
4. Respiratory protection: 3,118 violations
5. Lockout/tagout: 2,944 violations
6. Ladders: 2,812 violations
7. Powered industrial trucks: 2,294 violations
8. Fall protection: 1,982 violations
9. Machine guarding: 1,972 violations
10. Eye and face protection: 1,536 violations
“I encourage employers to look at this” list, said Mr. Kapust. “It could be used as a guide for employers on what they should look at” when developing safety programs.
Mr. Kapust said most of the violations for failing to provide eye and face protection, a newcomer to the list, stemmed from the housing industry, with roofers, house framers and other contractors cited often. He suspects that some contractors are doing jobs they haven’t done in the past and that a new focus on eye and face protection could help avoid citations.
Violations in the electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment category were bumped from the top 10 list in 2018.
Deborah Hersman, National Safety Council president and chief executive officer, said the annual list goes a “long way toward keeping (workers) safe.”
“The OSHA Top 10 list calls out areas that require increased vigilance to ensure everyone goes home safely each day,” she said in a statement.
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