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OSHA’s Top 10 Violations Announced for 2019

Each year OSHA releases its list of the most frequently cited standards for workplace safety violations.  The announcement takes place at the annual National Safety Council Conference and Expo, which was held in San Diego last week.

From NSC online, “far too many preventable injuries and deaths occur on the job,” said Lorraine M. Martin, NSC president and CEO. “The OSHA Top 10 list is a helpful guide for understanding just how adept America’s businesses are in complying with the basic rules of workplace safety. This list should serve as a challenge for us to do better as a nation and expect more from employers. It should also serve as a catalyst for individual employees to re-commit to safety.”

Quick Look at OSHA Violations

For the most part, this year’s top violations remain unchanged.  Fall protection remains in the top spot for the ninth consecutive year, along with fall protection training requirements making the list yet again at number eight.  Newcomer from last year, eye and face protection remain in the top ten.  However, Lockout/Tagout and Respiratory Protection violations switch places this year.

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements, 6,010 violations – No change from 2018.
2. Hazard Communication, 3,671 violations – No change from 2018.
3. Scaffolding, 2,813 violations – No change from 2018.
4. Lockout/Tagout, 2,606 violations – Number 5 in 2018.
5. Respiratory Protection, 2,450 violations – Number 4 in 2018.
6. Ladders, 2,345 violations – No change from 2018.
7. Powered Industrial Trucks, 2,093 violations – No change from 2018.
8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements, 1,773 violations – No change from 2018.
9. Machine Guarding, 1,743 violations – No change from 2018.
10. Eye & Face Protection, 1,411 violations – No change from 2018.

Source: nsc.org

Why is this list important?

This list is a reminder to employers and employees to practice safety both on and off the job.  Business owners and safety professionals should be able to look at this list with confidence, knowing that their employees are safe when it comes to things like working on scaffolding, using personal protective equipment or even climbing a ladder.   Have you had any recordables related to these commonly cited standards?  What about near misses? When was the last time employees were trained?

Take this opportunity to use this list as a basis for annual refresher training for your employees, before someone gets hurt on the job.   For a comprehensive review of your safety program and daily operations, call SRP at (866) 222-4972 to speak with a safety consultant near you.  With over 20 years of experience and 19 locations throughout California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas, SRP thrives on being a multi-disciplinary, compliance-based EHS resource serving a diverse group of industries.