On Safety: A closer look at OSHA’s ‘Top 10’ violations – Part VIII
For the food manufacturing industry, a total of 2,723 violations were issued, of which 1,952 were cited as serious. The top 10 standards cited are:
| Rank | OSHA standard | No. of violations | Standard description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1910.212(a)(1) | 205 | Machine Guarding – General machine guarding |
| 2 | 1910.147(c)(4) | 168 | Lockout/Tagout – Lack of written energy control procedures |
| 3 | 1910.147(c)(7) | 108 | Lockout/Tagout – Lack of training and education for employees |
| 4 | 1904.147(c)(6) | 80 | Lockout/Tagout – Failure to conduct periodic inspections |
| 5 | 1910.212(a)(3) | 78 | Machine Guarding – Failure to use point of operation guarding |
| 6 | General Duty Clause – Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act | 56 | General Duty Clause |
| 7 | 1910.147(d) | 46 | Lockout/Tagout – Failure to implement implementation procedures |
| 8 | 1910.1200(e)(1) | 43 | Hazard Communication – Lack of a written program |
| 9 | 1910.28(b)(1) | 40 | Fall Protection – Protection against unguarded/unprotected sides and edges greater than 4 feet above the lower surface |
| 10 | 1910.147(c)(1) | 35 | Lockout/Tagout – Lack of a written program |
The most frequent violations cited were related to the standard on lockout/tagout (1910.147). Also reaching into the Top 10 was the General Duty Clause, with 56 violations cited. Hazards cited under the clause (ranked from most to the fewest) included:
- Struck-by or caught-in
- Lockout/tagout
- Combustible dust
- Steam pressure hazards
- Fall hazards
- Amputation hazards
- Equipment overpressurization
- Chemical overexposures
- Explosion hazards
- Ergonomics
- Potential for an ammonia release
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