OSHA has released the preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year (FY) 2017.
While the rankings for OSHA's Top 10 most cited violations vary little from year to year, violation No. 9, "Fall Protection -- Training Requirements (1926.503)," is new to the list this year.
"The OSHA Top 10 is more than just a list; it is a blueprint for keeping workers safe," said NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman. "When we all work together to address hazards, we can do the best job possible to ensure employees go home safely each day."
The Top 10 for FY 2017 are:
- Fall Protection; General Requirements (1926.501) -- 6,072.
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200) -- 4,176.
- Scaffolding (1926.451) -- 3,288.
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134) -- 3,097.
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) -- 2,877.
- Ladders (1926.1053) -- 2,241.
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) -- 2,162.
- Machine Guarding (1910.212) -- 1,933.
- Fall Protection -- Training Requirements (1926.503) -- 1,523.
- Electrical -- Wiring Methods (1910.305) -- 1,405.
The list of the top 10 most frequently cited standards follows inspections of worksites throughout the U.S. by federal OSHA. According to OSHA, federal OSHA is a small agency. With its state partners, it has approximately 2,100 inspectors responsible for the health and safety of 130 million workers employed at more than 8 million worksites around the nation, which translates to about one compliance officer for every 59,000 workers.
OSHA publishes this list to alert employers about these commonly cited standards so they can take steps to find and fix recognized hazards addressed in these and other standards before OSHA shows up. The goal is to address preventable injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
For more information, visit www.nsc.org or www.osha.gov.
