The new OSHA Top 10 list has been revealed! Every year OSHA compiles a list of the ten most-cited standard violations from the previous fiscal year. OSHA publishes this list to educate employers about the most commonly cited standards so they can take necessary steps to find and fix recognized hazards before OSHA shows up or someone is injured. The 2020 fiscal year statistics, which ended Sept. 30th, have been released with some slight changes from the 2019 list.
Not surprisingly, the list’s actual violations stayed the same as the previous year, though some standards switched places. Ladders rose one spot to number five. Respiratory Protection also moved up to third from fifth, while Lockout/Tagout dropped two places, from fourth to sixth.
More notable, however, is that Fall Protection – General Requirements is OSHA’s most frequently cited standard for the 10th straight fiscal year.
It is not unexpected that fall protection stayed at number one, with 5,424 total violations. Fall protection, or the lack of it, continues to be a problem at many job sites. It has been the most cited regulation for ten straight years. In 2019, there were 800 fatal falls in the US, and they continue to be the leading cause of death in the construction industry, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Many employers are simply not providing workers with protection when it comes to falls, whether from a rooftop, a scaffold, or a ladder. Employers are also doing a poor job of training workers when it comes to preventing falls. Fall prevention training was number eight on OSHA’s list.
The Top 10 were revealed during a webinar with the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Safety + Health magazine.
“In a year that was defined by the ongoing pandemic, workplace safety became more important than ever,” NSC President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said in a statement. “The OSHA Top 10 list reminds us why we must continue to focus on persistent safety risks as we navigate new challenges. These data help us pinpoint areas where we can improve so we can better prioritize workplace safety in the future world of work.”
The Top 10 for FY 2020 are:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 5,424 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 3,199
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,649
- Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,538
- Ladders (1926.1053): 2,129
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,065
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 1,932
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 1,621
- Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,369
- Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,313
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