03.01.2010

Top 10 safety violations

The U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration – OSHA, has revealed its preliminary Top-10 list of safety violations in the workplace for 2009.

It also says that the number of violations within the 10 categories has increased by almost 30 percent compared to 2008.

The violations are:

1. Scaffolding — 9,093 violations.
Scaffold accidents most often result from the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

2. Fall Protection — 6,771 violations.
In the USA some form of fall protection is required when above four to six feet, depending on the industry.

3. Hazard Communication — 6,378 violations.
This involves the labeling and information provision for chemicals and other hazardous materials

4. Respiratory Protection — 3,803 violations.

5. Lockout-Tag out — 3,321 violations.
“Lockout-Tag out” refers to practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected startup of machinery and equipment or during service or maintenance activities.

6. Electrical (Wiring) — 3,079 violations.
This includes wiring and wiring design in the workplace and includes those working on overhead power lines.

7. Ladders — 3,072 violations.
Falls from ladders remain one of the main causes of fatalities in the workplace.

8. Powered Industrial Trucks — 2,993 violations.
This mainly refers to accidents with fork trucks, including falls between loading docks and an unsecured trailer, driving off of such docks, as well as falls from forks or pallets on forks.
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9. Electrical — 2,556 violations.
This category refers to the general use of electricity, and also includes those working on overhead power lines.

10. Machine Guarding — 2,364 violations.
This covers both industrial machinery and the guarding of hazards on mobile equipment.