OSHA Reveals the Top 10 Violations for FY 2017

At the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo 2017 in Indianapolis, Patrick Kapust, Deputy Director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, announced OSHA’s top 10 most cited violated for fiscal year (FY) 2017 in a packed NSC Learning Lab on the expo floor.

The top 10 list is preliminary in that not all violations have been added to OSHA’s reporting system, but the list order is not expected to change.

OSHA’s top 10 violations are:

1. Fall Protection in construction (29 CFR 1926.501) 6,072 violations
   Frequently violated requirements include unprotected edges and open sides in residential construction and failure to provide fall protection on low-slope roofs.
2. Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200) 4,176 violations
   Not having a hazard communication program topped the violations, followed by not having or not providing access to safety data sheets.
3. Scaffolding (29 CFR 1926.451) 3,288 violations
   Frequent violations include improper access to surfaces and lack of guardrails.
4. Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134) 3,097 violations
   Failure to establish a respiratory protection program topped these violations, followed by failure to provide medical evaluations.
5. Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147) 2,877 violations
   Frequent violations were inadequate worker training and inspections not completed.
6. Ladders in construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) 2,241 violations
   Frequent violations include improper use of ladders, damaged ladders, and using the top step.
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (29 CFR 1910.178) 2,162 violations
   Violations included inadequate worker training and refresher training.
8. Machine Guarding (29 CFR 1910.212) 1,933 violations
   Exposure to points of operation topped these violations.
9. Fall Protection—training requirements (29 CFR 1926.503) 1,523 violations
   Common violations include failure to train workers in identifying fall hazards and proper use of fall protection equipment.
10. Electrical—wiring methods (29 CFR 1910.305) 1,405 violations
    Violations of this standard were found in most general industry sectors, including food and beverage, retail, and manufacturing.