On Safety: A closer look at OSHA's Top 10 violations – Part IV
Part III of this blog series on OSHA’s Top 10 most cited violations focused on oil and gas extraction, paper manufacturing, and wood products.
Here, we’ll look at the Top 10 violations in fiscal year 2020 for the following industries: telecommunications; computers and electronics manufacturing; machinery manufacturing; and electrical equipment, appliances and components manufacturing.
As a reminder, OSHA in FY 2020 conducted 21,680 inspections – one of the lowest totals on record and down from 33,401 in FY 2019. Hence, the total number of violations in FY 2020 is much lower than in FY 2019, but the most cited violations remain consistent.
In FY 2020, OSHA issued only 68 violations to employers in the telecommunications industry. Fifty-two of the violations were cited as serious. Most of the violations were related to hazards cited only once or twice by OSHA. The top three violations cited:
- 1910.67(c)(2) – Aerial lifts, extension and articulating boom platforms (five citations)
- 1926.453(b)(2) (construction) – Aerial lifts, extension and articulating boom platform (four)
- 1910.22(d)(1) – Fixed ladders capable of supporting the load (weight) (four)
The Top 10 OSHA violations in FY 2020 for computer and electronics manufacturing:
| Rank | OSHA standard | No. of violations | Standard description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1910.212(a)(1) | 27 | General Machine Guarding |
| 2 | 1910.212(a)(3) | 15 | Machine Guarding – Point of Operation Guarding |
| 3 | 1910.1200(e)(1) | 13 | Hazard Communication – Written Hazard Communication Program |
| 4 | 1910.147(c)(4) | 12 | Lockout/Tagout – Lack of Energy Control Procedures |
| 5 | 1910.134(c)(1) | 9 | Respiratory Protection – Lack of a Written Respiratory Protection Program |
| 6 | 1910.134(e)(1) | 8 | Respiratory Protection – Lack of Medical Evaluations |
| 7 | 1910.303(b)(2) | 7 | Electrical – Installation and Use |
| 1910.1200(h)(1) | 7 | Hazard Communication – Lack of Employee Training and Communication | |
| 9 | 1910.212(b)(9) | 6 | Machine Guarding – Guarding of Belts, Pulleys, Gears and Shafts |
| 1910.147(c)(7) | 6 | Lockout/Tagout – Lack of Training and Communication | |
| 1910.147(c)(6) | 6 | Lockout/Tagout – Periodic Inspections Not Conducted | |
| 1910.151(c) | 6 | Medical and First Aid – Lack of a Shower and Eyewash Station | |
| 19120.215(b)(9) | 6 | Grinders – Exposure Adjustment Between the Wheel and the Rest Point |
The standouts in this section of OSHA’s Top 10 violations are machine guarding, lockout/tagout, respiratory protection and hazard communication. For the industry, 350 total violations were issued in FY 2020, with 252 of them cited as serious.
The Top 10 OSHA violations in FY 2020 for the machinery manufacturing industry:
| Rank | OSHA standard | No. of violations | Standard description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1910.212(a)(1) | 132 | Machine Guarding – General Machine Guarding |
| 2 | 1910.147(c)(4) | 64 | Lockout/Tagout – Energy Control Procedures |
| 1910.212(a)(3) | 64 | Machine Guarding – Point of Operation Guarding | |
| 4 | 1910.1200(e)(1) | 51 | Hazard Communication – Written Hazard Communication Program |
| 5 | 1910.147(c)(6) | 50 | Lockout/Tagout – Periodic Inspections |
| 6 | 1910.1200(h)(1) | 47 | Hazard Communication – Training and Education |
| 7 | 1910.147(c)(7) | 46 | Lockout/Tagout – Training and Education |
| 8 | 1910.134(e)(1) | 39 | Respiratory Protection – Medical evaluation |
| 9 | 1910.215(b)(9) | 29 | Grinders – Exposure Adjustment Between the Grinding Wheel and the Tool Rest |
| 10 | 1910.134(c)(1) | 26 | Respiratory Protection – Written Respiratory Protection Program |
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