Protecting Against OSHA’s Top 10 Safety Citations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s standards prevent injuries, illnesses, and even fatalities related to common job hazards. Its annual list of most frequently cited standards can help employers more easily recognize these hazards and understand how to address them in the workplace.

“The most effective safety programs do more than respond to hazards after they appear — they build accountability into everyday operations,” said Kevin O’Sadnick, Director – Risk Control at Safety National. “Proper training helps employees recognize hazards and understand how to use protective equipment correctly, while regular inspection of safety devices ensures those controls are ready to perform when they are needed most.”

Here, we identify OSHA’s most cited violations and how employers can mitigate these risks.

1. Fall Protection

Guardrail systems, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems can prevent falls in the workplace. Employers should provide walking and working surfaces that protect falls from more than six feet. Whether that includes working at the edge of wells, pits, shafts, or surfaces like steep roofs, formwork, or hoist areas, all employees should be protected from a fall and from falling objects.

2. Hazard Communication

Employers should keep a running inventory of all on site chemicals, ensure they are all labeled with hazard statements, and assess the exposure to employees. Consider how often the chemical is used and who is using it. Elimination or substitution options can help control chemical risks in addition to proper engineering controls, training, personal protective equipment (PPE), and housekeeping.

3. Ladders

Standard materials for ladders may vary along with their size and shape. However, every ladder should provide a safe climbing surface with rungs that are intact and clear of debris and slipping hazards. Employees must use ladders as intended, while always maintaining three points of contact: either one hand and both feet, or two hands and one foot.

 4. Control of Hazardous Energy

More commonly known as a lockout/tagout (LOTO) standard, this citation involves machinery unexpectedly starting up or releasing stored energy while someone is servicing it. Employers must have appropriate lockout or tagout devices for energy isolating devices, like a manually operated electrical circuit breaker, a disconnect switch, or a line valve. LOTO procedures are critical during a device’s maintenance and repair, protecting employees from electrocution, amputations, and crushing injuries.

5. Respiratory Protection

Breathing air contaminated by harmful dust, fumes, smoke, or vapor can be prevented through the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). When general control measures, like ventilation and substitution of less harmful materials, are not applicable, then employers should provide the appropriate respirator to employees working in these conditions. Depending on the environment, employees might need a respirator that is air-purifying or atmosphere-supplying.

6. Scaffolding

PPE, like personal fall arrest systems, are vital for preventing falls from scaffolding. Employers should also follow the 3-to-1 rule in the design of any scaffolding, which sets the total working height of a freestanding scaffolding tower at three times the distance of the narrowest side of the base. OSHA’s standard also includes many specific guidelines for the varying types of scaffolding, but all scaffolding should be constructed and loaded in accordance with its particular design.

7. Fall Protection Training

Protecting employees from falls is critical, but workers must also fully understand how to use fall protection, including the use of guardrails, personal fall arrest systems, safety nets, warning lines, and safety monitoring. Employers are responsible for providing training programs for employees exposed to fall hazards and retraining them where necessary.

8. Powered Industrial Trucks

Forklift safety starts with proper operation training, particularly pertaining to blind spots, intersections, and other dangerous areas. Employees should never exceed the rated load and ensure that the load is stable and balanced. Maintaining visibility at all times is key in incident prevention.

9. Eye and Face Protection

It is not enough to solely provide the correct PPE for an employee’s face or eyes; it must also fit correctly. Protective eyewear may need side protection in the event a worker is exposed to flying objects. Employees working with molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, light radiation, or flying particles are especially at risk.

10. Machine Guarding

Operators and other employees can all be injured by hazards created by a machine’s point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips, and sparks. Barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, and electronic safety devices can prevent incidents.