At the end of every year Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) releases its Top 10 Violations. This signifies citations issued by OSHA staff conducting safety inspections to workplaces to assess their adherence to the federal requirements.
Top 10 Violations of 2019:
Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 6,010 violations
Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 3,671 violations
Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,813 violations
Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,606 violations
Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,450 violations
Ladders (1926.1053): 2,345 violations
Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,093 violations
Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 1,773 violations
Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,743 violations
Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,411 violations
Why is the OSHA Top 10 so Important? It is important because OSHA has these requirements to help keep personnel safe and to help shine a light on neglected practices in industry. However, one of the most concerning aspects of the OSHA Top 10 Violations is its consistency, because year after year these violations remain largely unchanged. In fact, there is only one difference between the Top 10 Violations of 2018 and 2019 and that’s the Respiratory Protection and Lockout/Tagout swapped the 4 and 5 positions. Otherwise, while the actual numbers in this preliminary report have decreased, they are identical to last year’s. Failing to adhere to these standards is a serious matter. Remember, falls are the leading cause of workplace fatalities. It’s no coincidence that fall protection continuously tops OSHA’s list.