At the recent National Safety Council’s Congress & Expo, OSHA revealed its preliminary list of Top 10 violations for Fiscal Year 2017, and while the list remained largely unchanged, there was a new addition: Training Requirements for Fall Protection. So while fall protection is predictably at the top of the list, the emphasis on training is coming into the forefront.
OSHA officials stressed that all of the Top 10 hazards and violations are readily fixable and preventative safety measures can prevent scores of violations across the nation.
The top five remained identical to the FY 2016 list, with fall protection – by a wide margin with 6,072 violations. In a distant second was Hazard Communication with 4,176.
The full list:
1. Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 6,072 violations
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 4,176
3. Scaffolding (1926.451): 3,288
4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 3,097
5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,877
6. Ladders (1926.1053): 2,241
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,162
8. Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,933
9. Fall Protection – Training Requirements: 1,523
10. Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305): 1,405
“The OSHA Top 10 is more than just a list, it is a blueprint for keeping workers safe,” NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a Sept. 26 press release. “When we all work together to address hazards, we can do the best job possible to ensure employees go home safely each day.”
When it comes to ensuring a safe worksite, often the best place to begin is with a perceptive eye. As one OSHA spokesperson stated, “I encourage folks to use this list and look at your own workplace.”
