OSHA’s Top 10 Violations from FY2014

This week at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo, OSHA unveiled the Top 10 most frequently cited standards for their 2014 fiscal year. The list has become predictable in many ways for those who review these OSHA Top 10 lists on an annual basis. The top three spots remain unchanged from OSHA’s 2013 Top 10, with the OSHA Fall Protection standard (1926.501) in the lead, followed by Hazard Communication (1910.1200) and Scaffolding (1926.451).

Fall Protection has consistently topped the list since 2011, when it replaced the Scaffolding standard (the most cited for six years in a row, during the period of 2004-2010).

Most notably this year, OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout standard has moved up the list, from 8th place in 2013 to the 5th position. Meanwhile, the other Top 10 standards barely shifted. What is interesting, however, is that this year’s Top 10 list adds up to 33,116 violations total, while last year’s Top 10 violations equaled 42,502 – in other words, nearly 10,000 citations less in the Top 10 list this year.

For the period of Oct 1, 2013 to Sept 30, 2014, here are the preliminary stats on OSHA’s ten most frequent citations. The finalized data will be published in Safety + Health Magazine in its December issue.

1. Fall Protection (1926.501) 6,143 violations. The standard outlines when fall protection is required and the systems appropriate for given situations, with the goal of protecting employees on walking or working surfaces with an unprotected side or edge higher than 6 feet.

2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200) 5,161 violations. The standard addresses chemical hazards and their appropriate communication to employees.

3. Scaffolding (1926.451) 4,029 violations. The standard offers general safety requirements for scaffolding – employers must protect construction workers from falls or falling objects while working on or near scaffolding at heights of 10 feet or higher.

4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134)  3,223 violations. The standard provides requirements for an effective respiratory protection program.

5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) 2,704 violations. The standard addresses the control of hazardous energy during service and maintenance of machines and equipment.

6. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)  2,662 violations. The standard covers design, maintenance and operation of powered industrial trucks, including operator training requirements.

7. Electrical, Wiring Methods (1910.305) 2,490 violations. The standard covers the grounding of electrical equipment, wiring and insulation.

8. Ladders (1926.1053) 2,448 violations. The standard covers general requirements for all ladders.

9. Machine Guarding (1910.212) 2,200 violations. The standard covers the protection of workers from hazards presented by unguarded machinery, such as rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.

10. Electrical, General Requirements (1910.303) 2,056 violations. The standard covers general safety as it relates to designing electrical systems.

For more information on the sections cited, you can take a more in-depth look at OSHA’s regulations on their website.

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