Unveiling of OSHA’s Preliminary Top 10 Violations – First Time Ever Appearance This Year

Every year, OSHA unveils the agency’s top 10 violations for the previous fiscal year during the National Safety Council Congress & Expo, which is the largest annual gathering of safety professionals. The preliminary data collected covers violations cited between October 1, 2017 through September 30th, 2018.

Most of the list does not vary much through the years, with the top seven being the same as last year’s listing, but this year saw one brand new violation make it into the top ten – Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment/Ear and Eye Protection, which replaced Electrical Wiring Methods.

Here’s this year’s OSHA’s Top Ten Violations:

1) Fall Protection – General Requirements (7,270 violations): This violation has held onto the top of the OSHA’s annual list for several years and includes failure to provide proper fall protection near unprotected sides and edges and low-slope/steep roofs.

2) Hazard Communication (4,552 violations): Holding onto the number two spot for several years, this citation is due to lack of a written program, inadequate training, and failure to properly develop or maintain safety data sheets.

3) Scaffolds (3,336 violations): Holding tight to this ranking for the past few years, this violation includes lack of proper decking, failure to provide personal fall arrest systems and/or guardrails where required, and failure to ensure that supported scaffolds are supported adequately on a solid foundation.

4) Respiratory Protection (3,118 violations): In many cases, citations were issued at facilities for providing ill-fitting equipment, failing to implement a proper program or failing to provide medical evaluations.

5) Lockout/Tagout (2,944 violations): Most citations for this violation were for failing to establish any kind of energy control procedure, and other violations included for poor employee training, failure to develop machine-specific procedures, and lack of proper lockout/tagout equipment.

6) Ladders (2,812 violations): Common citations include failure to have side rails extend three feet beyond a landing surface, using the top step of a stepladder, using ladders for unintended purposes and using ladders with broken steps or rails.

7) Powered Industrial Trucks (2,294 violations): In this category, citations were usually issued for such violations as fork trucks and similar vehicles that were not up to code or damaged and still being used, improper training or certification for those operating forklifts, and failure to recertify forklift operators.

8) Fall Protection (1,982 violations): This violation focuses on the training aspect, including all required persons received training and by a competent person. It also includes failure to certify training in writing and failure to train the proper use of guardrails and personal fall arrest systems.

9) Machine Guarding (1,972 violations): These citations usually include such violations as failing to guard points of operation and ensuring such guards are securely attached to machinery or properly anchoring fixed machinery.

10) Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment/Ear and Eye Protection (1,536 violations): New to the top 10 list, this violation is usually cited concerning the failure to provide eye and face protection from flying objects as well as caustic hazards, gases and vapors. Another common citation includes allowing employees to wear their own prescription lenses in addition to protective equipment, which led to obscured views.

These ten violations represent about 60 percent of the total incidents for 2018, and even though most safety professionals are not surprised by OSHA’s annual listing, what is pretty concerning is that the total number of violations on this list represent a 10.19 percent increase, or 2,942 more violations than in 2017. Everyone here at Workplace Safety & Health Co. would love to see a decrease in violations in 2019, and we are here to help you do just that. Contact us at 317-253-9737 to talk about how we can help you keep your employees - your most valuable assets - safe on the job.