Top Cited Citations of 2017
On an annual basis, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration records thousands of worksite violations. In an effort to educate both workers and employers, the agency releases a list of the top-cited safety infractions each year.
OSHA’s 2017 fiscal year ended September 30, and it has published the annual list. Not surprisingly, the top three violations — fall protection, hazard communication and scaffolding — assumed their standard positions at the top. Take a look at the other chart-topping infringements.
Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2017
1. Fall Protection (29 CFR 1926.501): 6,072 violations
2. Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200): 4,176 violations
3. Scaffolding (29 CFR 1926.451): 3,288 violations
4. Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134): 3,097 violations
5. Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147): 2,877 violations
6. Ladders (29 CFR 1926.1053): 2,241 violations
7. Power Industrial Trucks (29 CFR 1910.178): 2,162 violations
8. Machine Guarding (29 CFR 1910.212): 1,933 violations
9. Fall Protection — Training (29 CFR 1926.503): 1,523 violations
10. Electrical (29 CFR 1910.305): 1,405 violations
At the time the list was released, OSHA stated that all Fiscal Year 2017 violations had not yet been added to its reporting system, but the agency didn’t expect any changes.
Awareness is Key
Hopefully your company isn’t included in the thousands of violations reported to OSHA on the list above, but if it is, use this as an opportunity to make a change for the better. If your team committed any of the top 10 violations — or any infraction for that matter — get to the root of the problem and start fresh.
Even if your business is not guilty of committing any OSHA violations, it’s important to remain diligent to ensure it stays that way. Everything from equipment that doesn’t function properly to employees without the necessary training contribute to worksite accidents that can end in serious injuries or even death. Making safety a top priority isn’t an option — it’s a must.
Stay on top of the latest from OSHA by keeping up with the MAC Incorporated blog. We firmly believe you can’t put a price on worksite safety, so join forces with us to fill your team with top engineering, maintenance and operations management talent who share a commitment to safety.