Occupational Safety & Health Administration's Top 10
Violations for Fisal Year 2011. OSHA released its top 10 violations for fiscal year 2011 (this list covers October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011). The list includes a mix of general industry and construction standards:
1. Construction fall protection (7,139 violations). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says 260 workers died in fiscal year 2010 due to violations of this standard.
2. Construction scaffolding (7,069 violations). BLS says in FY 2010, 37 workers died because of incidents involving faulty scaffolding.
3. Hazard communication (6,538 violations). In one fatal incident involving hazard communication, an employee lit a lighter to see the level of material inside a barrel, and the substance ignited. Proper labeling should have indicated how full the barrel was and that the material inside was combustible.
4. Respiratory protection (3,944 violations). Five million workers in the U.S. are covered under this respiratory standard and are required to wear respirators at their jobs.
5. Lockout/tagout ("LOTO") (3,639 violations). This refers to safeguarding employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities. The average days away from work for employees injured in incidents connected to this standard is 24.
6. Electrical wiring methods (3,584 violations). Employees affected by this standard range from engineers, electricians, and other professionals who work with electricity directly, to office workers and administrative staff who use any type of electrical equipment.
7. Powered industrial trucks (3,432 violations). BLS says in FY 2010, there were 8,410 injuries connected to use of powered industrial trucks, such as forklifts.
8. Ladders in construction (3,244 violations). Falls are consistently one of the top three causes of worker fatalities.
9. Electrical general requirements (2,863 violations). Injuries and deaths from electric shock, fires and explosions.
10. Machine guarding (2,748 violations). Covers anchoring of equipment.