OSHA Announces Top 10 Violations of 2014
Author: Ashley Shaw, XpertHR Legal Editor
September 22, 2014
At the 2014 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a preliminary list of the top 10 most frequently cited violations that occurred in fiscal year 2014. The fact that the list is not much different than the lists from the last few years makes it particularly important for an employer to take the time to evaluate its workplace safety program and ensure that it is up-to-date and capable of protecting workers from safety and health hazards.
The final list will be released in the December 1, 2014 edition of the NSC's Safety + Health magazine. In the meantime, the preliminary figures, which include months through August 11, 2014, are a good starting point for a workplace evaluation.
The following are the top 10 most frequently cited violations in FY2014, along with the number of citations given:
- Fall protection: 6,143
- Hazard Communication: 5,161
- Scaffolding: 4,029
- Respiratory Protection: 3,223
- Lockout/Tagout: 2,704
- Powered Industrial Trucks: 2,662
- Electrical - Wiring Methods: 2,490
- Ladders: 2,448
- Machine Guarding: 2,200
- Electrical - General Requirements: 2,056
While some of these may not affect every workplace, the varying nature of the violations means that every workplace could have a violation. To help protect against that, all workplaces should take the time to review the violations in comparison with their own safeguards. For example, an employer may now want to update hazard communication plans and Lockout/Tagout procedures or fix any ongoing electrical problems.