OSHA Announces Top 2018 Safety Violations
Author: Robert S. Teachout, XpertHR Legal Editor
November 26, 2018
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced its annual list of the top 10 safety violations for fiscal year 2018 (October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018). The list, based on preliminary data, was announced during the National Safety Council Congress and Expo held in Houston, Texas.
Violations of the general requirements for fall protection topped the list, with violations of hazard communications and scaffolding requirements coming in second and third respectively. Violations connected to falls made up four of the top 10 violations.
Two violations made the top 10 list for the first time according to OSHA's Deputy Director of the Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Patrick Kapust, Fall Protection-Training Requirements and Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment-Eye and Face Protection.
The top 10 safety violations for FY2018 are:
- Fall Protection-General Requirements: 7,720 violations
- Hazard Communication: 4,552 violations
- Scaffolds-General Requirements: 3,336 violations
- Respiratory Protection: 3,118 violations
- Lockout/Tagout: 2,944 violations
- Ladders: 2,812 violations
- Powered Industrial Trucks: 2,294 violations
- Fall Protection-Training Requirements: 1,982 violations
- Machine Guarding: 1,972 violations
- Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment-Eye and Face Protection: 1,536 violations
Kapust recommended that employers use the list to bolster their own safety programs. "The Top 10 represents the most frequently cited standards," Kapust said, "and they are a good place to start for the employer in identifying hazards in their own workplace."