OSHA’S TOP 10 MOST CITED VIOLATIONS FOR 2009

Top 10 Most Cited OSHA Violations (for 2004) Lockout/Tagout, Control of hazardous Hazard Communication (Chemical Safety) Machines, General Requirements Respiratory Electrical, Wiring Methods, Components & Equipment Mechanical Power Transmission Apparatus. Power Industrial Trucks Electrical Systems, General Requirements Abrasion Wheel Machinery Mechanical Power Presses

TOP 10 VIOLATIONS FOR 2008 Scaffolding, general requirements, construction Fall protection, construction Hazard communication standard, general industry Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry Respiratory protection, general industry Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry Powered industrial trucks, general industry Ladders, construction Machines, general requirements, general industry Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry ********* Inspections performed in 2008: 38,450. ********* 5,071 WORKERS DIED ON THE JOB IN 2008

WHERE IS OSHA TARGETING ITS INSPECTIONS???? In the 2009 fiscal year, 63% of inspections have been the result of OSHA programs that target industries or facilities with high incident rates. The rest, 37% are due to fatalities, injuries or an employee complaint.

WHERE IS OSHA TARGETING ITS INSPECTIONS???? Six out of ten inspections have been in the construction industry. In 2008, 121 inspections resulted in fines of more than $100,000. From Oct. 1, 2008 through June 26, 2009, there have been 72 six-figure or larger fines. Sometimes, OSHA inspectors don’t find any problems. That’s been the case 22% of the time in 2009

FACT………. OSHA finds an average of 3.1 violations per inspection. Of those, it classifies 81% in categories that mean higher fines for companies: serious, willful, repeat and failure to abate.

THE VIOLATIONS ARE…… Scaffolding: 9,093….9,444 (9,511) Fall protection: 6,771….7,087 (6,652) Hazard communication: 6,378….6,728 (6,662) Respiratory protection: 3,803….4,001 (3,958) Lockout/tagout: 3,321….3,431 (3,955) Electrical (wiring): 3,079….3,220 (3,371) Ladders: 3,072….3,227 (2,902) Powered industrial trucks(forklifts):2,993..3,071(3,262) Electrical-General Requirements: 2,556….2,661(2,741) Machine guarding: 2,364…2,476 (2,862)

SCAFFOLDING STANDARD 1926.451 Scaffold accidents most often result from the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

FALL PROTECTION STANDARD 1926.501 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.

HAZARD COMMUNICATION STANDARD 1910.1200 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.

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION STANDARD 1910.134 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.

LOCKOUT/TAGOUT STANDARD1910.147 "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.

ELECTRICAL-WIRING METHODS STANDARD 1910.305 This standard covers the grounding of electrical equipment, wiring & insulation. It includes temporary wiring & splicing such as flexible cords & cables.

LADDERS STANDARD 1926.1053 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.

POWERED INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS STANDARD 1910.178 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/tines.

ELECTRICAL-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS STANDARD 1910.303 This standard covers general safety requirements for designing electrical systems EX: Failure to use/install equipment in accordance w/factory instructions, Failure to guard live parts, Failure to ensure electrical equipment is free from recognized hazards.

MACHINE GUARDING- GENERAL REQUIREMENTS STANDARD 1910.212 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.

WORKER FATALITIES FROM 12/2009 12/9/2009 NY - Worker was performing highway snow plowing duties and was involved in a collision with a train at the crossing. 12/13/2009 ND – Worker was thawing two 3-inch valves with a propane torch on a tank trailer that exploded. 12/17/2009 CA – Worker fell from a ladder while working inside an airplane. 2/20/2009 NY – Worker was found in vehicle with engine running; carbon monoxide poisoning. 12/22/2009 SD – Worker entered a storage bin through a track-side access hole that was 15 feet above ground and was engulfed by sunflower seeds. 12/23/2009 TX – Worker was being elevated from a trash box on a forklift to reach a light pole. The trash box and worker fell to the parking lot.

BY THE NUMBERS…. The number of violations in the top 10 increased almost 30% over the same time period in 2008