The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has released its annual Top Ten list of the most frequently cited standards violations in 2013 workplace inspections by OSHA agency inspectors.
OSHA’s list reveals that for the past three years, falling hazards have been the most common basis for OSHA workplace inspection citations (in 2011, 2012, and 2013). Slip and fall injuries are hurting more workers on the job in the United States this year than any other kind of accident or injury.
Accordingly, OSHA announced last month a new federal proposal that will increase public postings online and in federal publications of workplace injury and illness reports from both large and small employers in the United States. Specifically:
- Employers with 250+ employees (large employers) must electronically report to OSHA on serious workplace injuries as they happen; and
- Employers with 20+ employees (small employers) are required to electronically report only the annual summary data that employers have already prepared.
OSHA will then publish these reports online after removing information that would identify the injured person.
Why do this? From OSHA:
Public posting of workplace injury and illness information will nudge employers to better identify and eliminate hazards. Employers want to be seen as the top performers in their industry just as some corporations strive to demonstrate their commitment to reducing pollution or using renewable energy we believe that responsible employers will want to be recognized as leaders in safety.
Currently employers cannot benchmark their performance against others in their industry. Once implemented this initiative will enable employers to compare their safety records to those at similar facilities.
In addition prospective employees will know which employers have better safety records helping those employers compete for the most desirable workers.
This also means we can expend fewer resources and make fewer inspections of employers.
OSHA’s 2013 TOP TEN MOST FREQUENTLY CITED VIOLATIONS
1. Fall protection (C)
2. Hazard communication
3. Scaffolding (C)
4. Respiratory protection
5. Electrical: wiring
6. Powered industrial trucks
7. Ladders (C)
8. Lockout/tagout
9. Electrical: systems design
10. Machine guarding
C = Construction standard
2013 OSHA TOP TEN WILLFUL VIOLATIONS
Injury/Number
- Fall Protection – 73
- Excavations – 34
- Lead – 25
- Machine Guarding – 23
- Lockout/Tagout – 20
- Scaffolding – 19
- Guarding Floor and Wall Openings and Holes – 18
- Respiratory Protection – 17
- Process Safety Management – 14
- Powered Industrial Trucks – 10
