Top 10 OSHA Safety Violations for 2009


"Where Are My Keys?"

"Where Are My Keys?"

The top violations are up almost 30% from 2008 and include the following:

1. Scaffolding – 9,093 violations
Scaffold accidents most often result from the planking or support giving way,
or from the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

2. Fall Protection – 6,771 violations
Any time a worker is at a height of four feet or more, the worker is at risk
and needs to be protected. Fall protection must be provided at four feet in
general industry, five feet in maritime and six feet in construction.

3. Hazard Communication – 6,378 violations
Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate the hazards of
the chemicals they produce or import, and prepare labels and safety data
sheets to convey the hazard information to their downstream customers.

4. Respiratory Protection – 3,803 violations
Respirators protect workers against insufficient oxygen environments, harmful
dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors and sprays. These hazards may cause
cancer, lung impairment, other diseases or death.

5. Lockout-Tag out – 3,321 violations
“Lockout-Tag out” refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard
employees from the unexpected startup of machinery and equipment, or the
release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

6. Electrical (Wiring) – 3,079 violations
Working with electricity can be dangerous. Engineers, electricians and other
professionals work with electricity directly, including working on overhead
lines, cable harnesses, and circuit assemblies. Others, such as office workers
and sales people, work with electricity indirectly and may also be exposed to
electrical hazards.

7. Ladders – 3,072 violations
Occupational fatalities caused by falls remain a serious public health
problem. The US Department of Labor (DOL) lists falls as one of the leading
causes of traumatic occupational death, accounting for eight percent of all
occupational fatalities from trauma.

8. Powered Industrial Trucks – 2,993 violations
Each year, tens of thousands of injuries related to powered industrial trucks
(PIT), or forklifts, occur in US workplaces. Many employees are injured when
lift trucks are inadvertently driven off loading docks, lifts fall between
docks and an unsecured trailer, they are struck by a lift truck, or when they
fall while on elevated pallets and tines.

9. Electrical – 2,556 violations
Working with electricity can be dangerous. Engineers, electricians, and other
professionals work with electricity directly, including working on overhead
lines, cable harnesses, and circuit assemblies. Others, such as office workers
and sales people, work with electricity indirectly and may also be exposed to
electrical hazards.

10.Machine Guarding – 2,364 violations
Any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be
safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact injures the
operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be eliminated or
controlled.

As reported on Reuters