OSHA Releases Top 10 Safety Violations for 2018

November 26, 2018
Elevators, HVAC
4 min read

OSHA announced its Top 10 list of most cited violations for 2018.  Although this annual list of the most frequently cited violations almost always features the same categories, the individual rankings do shift a bit. It’s concerning to note that the total number of violations went up in all nine categories this year except for the eye and face protection category (No. 10), which is new to the list.

OSHA TOP 10 SAFETY VIOLATIONS 2018

  1. Fall Protection
  2. Hazardous Communication
  3. Scaffolding
  4. Respiratory Protection
  5. Lockout/Tagout
  6. Ladders
  7. Powered Industrial Trucks
  8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements
  9. Machine Guarding
  10. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment -Eye and Face Protection

The goal is to inform the public of the most commonly cited safety violations and allow employers to focus their efforts on those standards to make workplaces safer for employees.

Some Common reasons why companies get cited for safety violations:

  1. Outdated tools and methods compromise your EHS processes.
  2. No collaboration between the field and office.
  3. Information collected on paper can be lost, incomplete, inaccurate or unreadable.
  4. You can’t manage what you don’t track.

Here are 5 ways an end-to-end field service software can improve field service safety:

1.      Collect Data Not Paperwork

Paper-based forms may get lost, or contain illegible handwriting and incorrect calculations. Vital data may not be communicated effectively – if at all.

An end-to-end field service software solution will ensure:

  1. Forms are filled out quickly, with accurate, legible information.
  2. Consistent answers from pre-populated fields via drop-down menus
  3. Calculations are automatic, and critical information cannot be skipped over due to mandatory form fields.
  4. Techs can take photos to highlight safety concerns; collect signatures on site to sign off on inspections.
  5. Reports are automatically shared across back-office systems and staff.

2.      Provide your field teams with up-to-date information

Your teams may not always have the information they need readily available in the field, particularly if they’re relying on manual, paper based processes. Unless your teams regularly stop by the office, it can be difficult to share updated job site information, dispatch the latest health and safety forms, or inform field workers about new regulations.

An end-to-end field service software solution will ensure:

  1. Your field team always have the most up-to-date mobile forms.
  2. Real-time data – view and select price/part lists in easy-to-pick dropdown menus.
  3. New employees get up to speed quickly by offering links to tips, how-to-videos, and regulation handbooks – directly in the form.
  4. Enhanced collaboration you need between the field and office.

3.      Deliver data when and where it’s needed

Paper-based processes are vulnerable to communication bottlenecks, as forms have to be faxed, scanned, or physically transported to the office, which can slow down processes that are critical to resolving safety issues.

An end-to-end field service software solution will ensure:

  1. Communication bottlenecks are eliminated. Field techs can submit critical EHS data to the office with the touch of a button, empowering you to quickly resolve  compliance issues

4.      Integrate with back-office system

It’s not enough to be compliant. You have to show that you’re compliant. Your safety data and reports have to be easily accessible to both internal stakeholders and industry regulators. This is difficult and time-consuming if your forms are stashed away in filing cabinets across different offices.

An end-to-end field service software solution will ensure:

  1. Your field and your office are completely integrated and data is synched in real-time.
  2. Your admin staff will no longer  need to spend much of their days transcribing data from paper to your back-office system.

5.      Gain greater visibility with analytics

Keeping  your field service team safe requires you to be proactive. Safety-conscious organizations use analytics tools to leverage their historical health and safety data to help predict and prevent future incidents that could have serious corporate and human consequences. Analytics tools present your real-time data in easy-to-read dashboards and reports, revealing critical information to help prevent violations.

An end-to-end field service software solution will:

  1. Track the number of incidents per region, office, and/or team.
  2. Identify the best and worst performing sites and teams.
  3. Share top performers to establish best practices across the organization.
  4. Identify problem areas that require special attention to improve your health and safety compliance  scores

FIELDBOSS contractor management software can help you to ensure the greatest level of safety for the public and your technicians by giving you the tools you need to stay compliant, avoid headaches, and keep your team informed. Contact us for a free demo or for more information.

#Compliance #OSHA #SafetyViolations