Fall protection leads OSHA’s ‘Top 10’ list of most frequently cited violations
Update: Read the final numbers, plus top monetary penalties and a Q&A with OSHA's Patrick Kapust.
Indianapolis – The preliminary list of OSHA’s Top 10 violations for Fiscal Year 2017 remained largely unchanged from FY 2016, except for one new addition: Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) entered the list at No. 9 with 1,523 violations, just ahead of Electrical – Wiring Methods (1,405 violations). The entire list was revealed during the 2017 National Safety Council’s Congress & Expo.
The top five remained identical to the FY 2016 list, with Fall Protection – General Requirements at No. 1 by a wide margin with 6,072 violations. In a distant second was Hazard Communication with 4,176.
Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, and Kevin Druley, associate editor for Safety+Health, presented the preliminary data for FY 2017, which ended Sept. 30.
“One thing I’ve said before in the past on this is, this list doesn’t change too much from year to year. These things are readily fixable,” Kapust said during the presentation. “I encourage folks to use this list and look at your own workplace.”
The full list:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 6,072 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 4,176
- Scaffolding (1926.451): 3,288
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 3,097
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,877
- Ladders (1926.1053): 2,241
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,162
- Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,933
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements: 1,523
- Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305): 1,405
“The OSHA Top 10 is more than just a list, it is a blueprint for keeping workers safe,” NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a Sept. 26 press release. “When we all work together to address hazards, we can do the best job possible to ensure employees go home safely each day.”
Finalized data, along with additional details and exclusive content, will be published in the December issue of S+H.
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