OSHA's list of top 10 health and safety violations for 2016 released

October 27th, 2016 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration releases a list of the 10 most-cited workplace violations at the end of each financial year. The most recent version appeared in October as part of a joint announcement made by the federal workplace regulator and Safety & Health magazine at the annual National Safety Council Congress & Expo. The ranking continues to feature some of the same long-term frequent offenders like issues with fall protection and hazard communication compliance, which took the No. 1 and 2 spots. Those two violations occupied the same space in the 2015 version of the list, according to Safety & Health.

The most common health and safety violations for fiscal year 2016
Few in the EHS world were surprised to hear fall protection and hazard communication continue to top the list. These two most-cited violations have long been a point of emphasis for OSHA inspectors to some extent. Fall protection is a common concern that stretches across a very diverse array of businesses and industries, while hazard communication may be an even more broadly applicable standard. It's worth considering that despite the extra emphasis these two top concerns of 2016 have attracted in years past, they continue to be cited more frequently than any other violation.

Organizations need to make full compliance with these rules a priority to avoid the potential for fines and other penalties from OSHA. While fall protection heavily involves the unique conditions of each workplace, some of the most common hazard communication issues include poor or incomplete training, failure to update data sheets and lack of programs to deal with potential worker exposure to chemicals, according to EHS Today.

Completing the top five this year are violations related to scaffolding, respiratory protection and lockout/tagout procedures. Scaffolding is a construction industry-only issue in this context, but the others are more widespread. EHS Today said fit testing, lack of medical evaluations despite the use of respirators and overexposure to potentially hazardous substances are frequently cited by OSHA staff. For lockout/tagout issues, problems with organizational control and a lack of consistency in developing and enforcing a safe, compliant process were frequently found. Respiratory protection and lockout/tagout issues ranked at No. 4 and No. 5 in 2015 as well, with scaffolding also in the same spot.

Violations of standards involving powered industrial trucks, ladders, machine guarding, electrical wiring methods and electrical general standards fill the rest of the spots on this year's list. These all appeared in the 2015 version as well, with only a few variations in ranking from year to year. Besides ladders, which made the list due to issues in the construction field, the rest apply to the much broader general industry category. For trucks, common violations centered around certification issues and training concerns, EHS Today said, while machine guarding problems generally involved dangerous use processes. Improper extension cord use and placement were common violations found in relation to electrical wiring methods. For general electrical standards, OSHA inspectors frequently encountered unsafe installations, improper use and obstructions too close to electrical equipment.

Understanding which health and safety violations are most common is an important piece of knowledge for businesses. Not only can EHS management staff direct extra attention toward the violations on their list that are possible at their facilities, they also gain a broader understanding in advance of what issues OSHA inspectors may look for during the next site visit. More frequent assessments of current operations as they relate to these common concerns can steer companies toward safe and efficient operations that take special note of health and safety trends.