In June the U.S. celebrates National Safety Month. In addition to recognizing workplace safety throughout the month, it is also a good time to review the health and safety programs that are most frequently cited by OSHA because they are what contributes to the top workplace injuries. OSHA’s Top 10 most frequently cited workplace standards for fiscal year 2022 effecting both the construction and general industry businesses are presented below.
1. Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 5,260 violations
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 2,424
3. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,185
4. Ladders (1926.1053): 2,143
5. Scaffolding (1926.451): 2,058
6. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 1,977
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 1,749
8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503): 1,556
9. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102): 1,401
10. Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,370
For business owners, managers, supervisors, and safety professionals, the question in June should be what have we done to reduce the hazards in our workplace this year and what should we focus on to protect our workers from injury and illness? Below is a checklist you can use to make this determination.
Fall Protection:
- Have you inspected areas where fall prevention or protection systems are in place? (e.g., mezzanines, docks, roofs, etc.)
- Have personal fall arrest systems been inspected?
- Has training been conducted?
Hazard Communication:
- Are SDS readily available for employee access?
- Do you have a current chemical inventory?
- Are your secondary containers properly labeled?
- Have you looked at non-routine tasks and chemical exposure?
Respiratory Protection:
- Have you conducted sampling to make sure your respirator program is compliant?
- Are the correct respirators issued and worn by employees?
- Have employees been fit tested?
- Has training been conducted?
- Do you know where respirators are required vs. voluntarily used?
Ladders:
- Have your ladders been inspected?
- Has training been conducted?
- Are they stored properly?
- Do you have the right ladders for common tasks?
Scaffolding:
- If you use scaffolds, do you have a competent person on the team?
- Are your scaffolds inspected as required?
- Has training been conducted?
Lockout Tagout:
- Does every piece of equipment have a LOTO procedure?
- Have the equipment specific procedures been reviewed annually?
- Are your affected and authorized employees trained?
- Are your contractors aware of your policy and procedures?
Powered Industrial Vehicles:
- Are your powered industrial trucks inspected before use?
- Are your operators trained and certified every three years?
- Are they wearing seatbelts?
PPE – Eye & Face Protection:
- Do you have PPE Hazard Assessment for job tasks and activities?
- Do you have a variety of eye and face protection to fit the workers and the hazards of the tasks?
- Is training on eye and face protection as well as other PPE conducted?
Machine Guarding:
- Are machines guarded to ensure employees do not contact with points of operation and hazardous areas of the equipment?
- Are employees trained on the need and use for machine guards?
CMI’s team of Health and Safety professionals are able to assist you with this assessment or any of your compliance needs. Our team conducts mock OSHA audits to identify compliance gaps which assist businesses with prioritizing workplace risks. Our team is also highly skilled in risk assessments, policy development and employee training.
Please contact us today to ensure your business is in compliance.
Written by, Erin Rymsa, Director, Training Services