Top Ten OSHA Violations 2009
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration released its top ten list regarding work place violations for 2009. The following is a list of those violations listed in order of occurrence.
1. Scaffolding- There was 9,093 violations under the scaffolding category. These violations included improper planking, railing and ground support.
2. Fall Protection- There were 6,771 violations under this category. Many of these were related to railing violations. OSHA announced several years ago that fall protection was going to be a point of emphasis for the near future.
3. Hazard Communication- Accounted for 6,378 violations. These are mostly related to having MSDS sheets available to employees and providing signage and communication about them and what to do in case of spills.
4. Respiratory Protection- Accounted for 3,803 violations. Many of these were related to no respiratory devices provided, improper fit and not testing to be sure employee is healthy enough to wear a mask.
5. Lockout/Tagout - Accounted for 3,321 violations. Many of these were for not having a specific program and not communicating the program to employees to lock out machines when they are being repaired, or deemed unsafe.
6. Electrical Wiring-Accounted for 2,556 violations. These violations include not having outlets wired properly and having outlets too close to flammable liquids.
7. Ladders-Accounted for 3,072 violations. Many of these were for having ladders available that were deemed unsafe.
8. Powered Industrial Trucks-Accounted for 2,993 violations. Included excessive carbon monoxide discharge from trucks, inoperable horns, bad brakes and back up alarms.
9. Electrical-Accounted for 2,556 violations.
10. Machine Guarding-Accounted for 2,364 violations. Mostly for having guarding that still allowed operators to be in harms way.
It is likely that when OSHA performs a visit, these are the areas that they will look for first. For additional information, contact the US Department of Labor.
