OSHA Top 10 Safety Violations for 2013

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is the federal agency responsible for creating and enforcing safety standards for workers in the United States. As part of OSHA’s enforcement duties, the agency has the power to issue citations, or even issue a stop work order, for violations of safety standards.  By studying the top 10 safety violations for the past year we can gain valuable insight into common causes of workplace injuries and fatalities.

According to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, each year, the transportation industry has the highest number of fatal workplace accidents each year followed closely by the construction industry.  Not surprisingly, many of the violations on the following list are found predominantly in those two industries. The list was compiled by the National Safety Council based on data covering the period of Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2013.

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements—with 8,241 violations, fall protection made the top of the list. According to OSHA, “Falls” consistently rank as one of the top four causes of workplace fatal accidents in the construction industry, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths in 2012.
2. Hazard Communication – This standard relates to chemical hazards present, or brought into the workplace as well as communication regarding those hazards. 6,156 violations in total.
3. Scaffolding – Scaffolding standards are intended to protect workers working at heights of 10 feet or higher. There were 5,423 violations in this category for 2013.
4. Respiratory Protection – The standard focuses on how to establish and maintain a respiratory protection program for workers. 3,879 violations filed.
5. Electrical – Wiring Methods— This standard covers the grounding of electrical equipment, wiring, and insulation.  3,452 violations filed.
6. Powered Industrial Trucks – 3,340 violations were filed relating to the design, maintenance and operation of powered industrial trucks such as forklifts.
7. Ladders – 3,311 violations relating to ladder safety were filed during the year.
8. Lockout/Tagout – This standard governs the control of hazardous energy during servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment.  3,254 violations filed.
9. Electrical – General Requirements – Covering general safety requirements for designing electrical systems. 2,745 violations were found.
10. Machine Guarding – Machine guarding standards are intended to protect operators in the manufacturing industry and other industries from hazard such as rotating parts and sparks.  2,701 violations filed.

Looking over the top 10 OSHA violations, there seems to be an obvious correlation between the most common violations and the most common causes of workplace fatalities in the construction industry.

OSHA’s “Fatal Four” represent the leading causes of worker deaths in the construction industry and account for almost three out of every five fatal injuries. The “Fatal Four” include falls, struck by an object, electrocution, and caught in/between injuries.  Collectively, these four causes accounted for 435 of the 775 construction industry workplace deaths in 2012.

Employers in all industries have a legal obligation to follow OSHA safety standards. Every time a safety violation occurs it places workers at risk for suffering a workplace injury. If you have suffered a workplace related injury or illness, or have lost a loved one as the result of one, you may be entitled to Kentucky workers’ compensation benefits.