The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently unveiled its annual list of the Top Ten most cited workplace safety violations. There were approximately 94,000 violations issued during the 2010 fiscal year, and the top ten violation categories represented 48 to 49 percent of all violations.
The Top Ten most cited violations were as follows:
- Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451)
- Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501)
- Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200)
- Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)
- Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134)
- Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147)
- Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305)
- Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178)
- Electrical systems design, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303)
- Machines, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212)
The construction industry was, once again, hit hard by workplace safety violations – claiming three of the top four spots on the list with scaffolding holding the top spot for the seventh consecutive year. This is hardly surprising as construction sites remain one of the deadliest places to work in America – one in three workplace deaths are construction-related.
The most troubling aspect of this list is not, however, the number of construction industry violations, but rather the repetitive nature of such violations – as the same violations appear on the OSHA Top Ten list year after year. Companies and workers continue to make the same mistakes year in and year out, and cut corners when it comes to safety. This attitude and practice must change if we are to ever reduce the number of workers that are injured and killed in preventable workplace accidents.
