One of the highlights from the National Safety Council Congress and Expo held earlier this week in Indianapolis was the unveiling of OSHA’s preliminary Top 10 Violations for 2017. The final report will be published in December.
Described by NSC President and CEO Deborah Hersman as a “blueprint for keeping workers safe”, here’s the Top 10 list of violations issued by OSHA as we enter the final quarter of 2017.
10. There have been 1,405 violations issued under the heading of Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305). Basically, this reg pertains to all the general wiring procedures in a building or factory.
9. The only newcomer to the list - 1,523 violations were registered for Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503). It seems employers are failing to provide the proper training materials and programs for employees as it relates to Fall Protection.
8. A personal favorite of my colleague David Mantey, as 1,033 violations have been recorded for improper Machine Guarding (1910.212).
7. There were 2,162 violations related to improper use of Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178), i.e. forklifts and similar vehicles.
6. It seems like we’re all still struggling with proper ladder use (1926.1053), as 2,241 violations have been reported.
5. We see that Lock-Out-Tag-Out (1910.147) continues to present safety challenges with 2,877 violations so far in 2017.
4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134) - basically employers are either not providing the right equipment or workers are not wearing the right protective gear, to the tune of 3,097 violations. (photo in video courtesy of a booth visit to CleanSpace)
3. There were 3,288 violations related to improper Scaffolding (1926.451).
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200) has tallied 4,176 violations. This comes down to properly classifying, labeling and displaying the correct labels for hazardous chemicals and other materials.
1. Registering 6,072 OSHA violations so far in 2017 is Fall Protection (1926.501). This has been the number one OSHA violation for the last five years.
The good news is that the show also contained a number of solutions to help prevent these violations from occurring, and more importantly, the tools, equipment and personal protective equipment to ensure that those working in potentially dangerous environments can safely do their jobs.
