In the last year, 2010, OSHA issued more than 94,000 citations to companies that violated its standards with regards to safety issues. At the 2010 Congress and Expo help by the National Safety Council, OSHA publicly announced what the top 10 safety violations were in the year 2010. These 10 violations accounted for nearly half of the overall violations found in 2010. While last year's list was found to be almost identical to that of 2009, what with the big four hazards (fall protection, scaffolding, respiratory protection and hazard communication) remaining unchanged, it still poses as a valuable source of information for the public.
Here is the list of the top 10 violations found in 2010. Read this and decide whether you, as an employer, are guilty of following any of the violations:
Scaffolding: OSHA found about 9,093 scaffolding violations in 2010. Scaffolding accidents and violations commonly occur sue to improper usage of scaffolding, the plank giving way, the worker falling off or a heavy object falling on a person.
Fall Protection: OSHA found about 6.771 fall protection violations in 2010. Fall protection violation generally occurs when a worker is 4 feet above the ground and is not given proper safety equipment and trainings. Fall protection is a necessity at 4 feet in the general industry, at 6 feet in the construction industry and at 5 feet in the maritime industry.
Hazard Communication: OSHA found 6,378 hazard communication violations in 2010. Movers and manufacturers of hazardous substances should always evaluate, label and provide Material Safety Data Sheets for each substance.
Respiratory Protection: OSHA found about 3,083 respiratory protection violations in 2010. Respirators should be used to protect against any unhealthy breathing environment. This could any environment that contains insufficient oxygen, vapors, dust, unhealthy gases, fiberglass, etc.
Ladders: OSHA found about 3,072 ladder violations in 2010. Nearly 8% of all workplace deaths are caused due to falls.
Lockout/Tagout: OSHA found about 3,321 lockout/tagout violations in 2010. Lockout/Tagout generally refers to locking the on or off power switch when working along with high current electrical machines.
Electrical Wiring Methods: OSHA found about 3,079 electrical wiring violations in 2010. Electrical hazards occur for those who work with or near dangerous electrical lines.
Powered Industrial Trucks: OSHA found about 2,993 powered industrial truck violations in 2010. Many workers are found to be injured when driving these trucks off loading docks, by getting stuck or driving them into ditches.
Electrical: OSHA found about 2,556 electrical violations in 2010. Working with electricity will always be hazardous. Many workers get injured when conducting electrical maintenance or installation.
Machine Guarding: OSHA found about 2,364 machine guarding violations in 2010. Any machine function, process or part can cause injury and should be labeled or safeguarded.