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OSHA's Top Ten Violations

B

Bryan Holland

Silver Member
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Oct 18, 2009
Messages
241
Location
SW Florida
OSHA’s Top 10

Each year OSHA publishes its list of most frequently cited violations. Employers and employees should be aware of these findings in order to assess their company’s health and safety programs to ensure they are meeting all requirements, not only for compliance purposes, but to maintain the safest workplace possible. The list also indicates that these standards receive a critical eye by compliance officers during inspections.

The list below includes the OSHA Standard and the specific OSHA Regulation (Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations). Section 1926 references the Construction Industry and Section 1910 applies to General Industry.

1. Scaffolding, general requirements (29 CFR 1926.451)

2. Fall protection, (29 CFR 1926.501)

3. Hazard communication standard, (29 CFR 1910.1200)

4. Ladders, (29 CFR 1926.1053)

5. Respiratory protection, (29 CFR 1910.134)

6. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), (29 CFR 1910.147)

7. Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, (29 CFR 1910.305)

8. Powered industrial trucks, (29 CFR 1910.178)

9. Electrical systems design, (29 CFR 1910.303)

10. Machines, general requirements, (29 CFR 1910.212)

The following are the standards for which OSHA assessed the highest penalties in fiscal year 2010 (October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010):

1.Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501)

2.Electrical, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.403)

3.Safety training and education, construction (29 CFR 1910.21)

4.Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147)

5.Machines, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212)

6.General duty clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act) (this is where they get you on 70E)

7.Excavations, requirements for protective systems, construction (29 CFR 1926.652)

8.Lead, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1025)

9.Grain handling facilities (29 CFR 1910.272)

10.Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)
 
Where can I find basic OSHA standards for items like roof scuttle access ladders?

If I have rooftop-mounted equipment, am I required to have a permanent ladder access, or can I just provide a roof scuttle and aloow the maintenance staff to provide the access ladder as-needed?

I don't think these questions are addressed in the IBC.
 
Yikes said:
Where can I find basic OSHA standards for items like roof scuttle access ladders?If I have rooftop-mounted equipment, am I required to have a permanent ladder access, or can I just provide a roof scuttle and aloow the maintenance staff to provide the access ladder as-needed?

I don't think these questions are addressed in the IBC.
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See the International Mechanical Code:

306.5 Equipment and appliances on roofs or elevated structures. Where equipment requiring access and appliances are installed on roofs or elevated structures at a height exceeding 16 feet (4877 mm), such access shall be provided by a permanent approved means of access, the extent of which shall be from grade or floor level to the equipment and appliances' level service space. Such access shall not require climbing over obstructions greater than 30 inches (762 mm) high or walking on roofs having a slope greater than four units vertical in 12 units horizontal (33-percent slope). Where access involves climbing over parapet walls, the height shall be measured to the top of the parapet wall. Permanent ladders installed to provide the required access shall comply with the following minimum design criteria:

1. The side railing shall extend above the parapet or roof edge not less than 30 inches (762 mm).

2. Ladders shall have rung spacing not to exceed 14 inches (356 mm) on center.

3. Ladders shall have a toe spacing not less than 6 inches (152 mm) deep.

4. There shall be a minimum of 18 inches (457 mm) between rails.

5. Rungs shall have a minimum 0.75-inch (19 mm) diameter and be capable of withstanding a 300-pound (136.1 kg) load.

6. Ladders over 30 feet (9144 mm) in height shall be provided with offset sections and landings capable of withstanding 100 pounds per square foot (488.2 kg/m2). Landing dimensions shall be not less than 18 inches (457 mm) and not less than the width of the ladder served. A guard rail shall be provided on all open sides of the landing.

7. Ladders shall be protected against corrosion by approved means.

Catwalks installed to provide the required access shall be not less than 24 inches (610 mm) wide and shall have railings as required for service platforms.

Exception: This section shall not apply to Group R-3 occupancies.
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Top 10 cited violations as announced by OSHA at the National Safety Council's 2017
Fall Protection- general. ...
Hazard Communication. ...
Scaffolding. ...
Respiratory Protection. ...
Lockout/Tagout. ...
Ladders. ...
Powered Industrial Trucks. ...
Machine Guarding...
Fall Protection- training....
Electrical Protection....


upload_2018-2-19_9-26-9.pngupload_2018-2-19_9-26-9.png
 
conarb said:
I guess you guys are going to start enforcing OSHA when you inspect, along with the legality of the employees you encounter on the jobsites, who better? You are there.
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Not in my jurisdiction.................
 
There's a few OSHA violations that get my attention. I post here about rebar impalement hazards. I turn down the request for inspection when I find stuff like this picture:



What I don't do is react to saw guards pinned up, missing guards, frayed cords and all the other dangerous things that are out there. I do react to excavations that qualify as scary dammed dangerous.

Does it take an OSHA inspector to enforce common sense. I see rebar waiting to stab through a person and my thinking doesn't start with, "Well there's an OSHA violation for ya." That danger predates OSHA.
 
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ICE said:
There's a few OSHA violations that get my attention. I post here about rebar impalement hazards. I turn down the request for inspection when I find stuff like this picture:



What I don't do is react to saw guards pinned up, missing guards, frayed cords and all the other dangerous things that are out there. I do react to excavations that qualify as scary dammed dangerous.

Does it take an OSHA inspector to enforce common sense. I see rebar waiting to stab through a person and my thinking doesn't start with, "Well there's an OSHA violation for ya." That danger predates OSHA.
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Tiger:

You have to realize that guys like me lived before OSHA and there were no such things as those plastic caps for rebar and we didn't have any problems. When I was a carpenter we wore Ben Davis overalls with padded thighs, I never pinned gaurds and always brought my 77 back to rest on my thigh, later carpenters took off the overalls and went to nail belts and even short pants in the summer, I had a Hell of a time with my guys pinning their guards and they had no protection like I did, I'd tell them on a daily basis to take the pins out of the guards but I knew what was happenning, when they'd see me coming they would take them out, but as soon as I left they'd pin them again.
 
My inspection company required to say something and then not do an inspection if there was a deep trench that was not shored up or stepped. We were sued once about this. I don't know what the outcome was.
 
steveray said:
Conarb....Tiger might be looking out for the lil kid walking on that sidewalk there, but what do I know....
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Steve:

If he can do that we can give him a gun, a paddy wagon, and let him solve the illegal immigration problem too, nobody would be better at that than Tiger.
 
I got a lot of codes to enforce here already, does OSHA, FEMA, census, ADA and the EPA have any funds to send my way? Getting a bit harder to do all these jobs I've been tasked to do.

Can someone do this ISO paperwork for me?
 
On what basis can a building inspector refuse to perform inspections because of what is believed to be an OSHA violation. I suggest there is none.

The job of the building inspector is to help enforce the building code not OSHA or CalOSHA

On the other hand an inspector can refuse to go to some place where there is an unsafe condition. Still I do not see why this would prevent the inspection of the retaining wall reinforcing since the inspection could be done from the ground where the lack of the caps would not create a safety concern for the inspector..

The other option would be for the inspector to report the supposed violation to OSHA.
 
Mark K said:
On what basis can a building inspector refuse to perform inspections because of what is believed to be an OSHA violation. I suggest there is none.

The job of the building inspector is to help enforce the building code not OSHA or CalOSHA

On the other hand an inspector can refuse to go to some place where there is an unsafe condition. Still I do not see why this would prevent the inspection of the retaining wall reinforcing since the inspection could be done from the ground where the lack of the caps would not create a safety concern for the inspector..

The other option would be for the inspector to report the supposed violation to OSHA.
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Exactly, when we are on construction site we are employees, so we have a right not to enter somewhere we know is unsafe.

In Canada, we also have some liability if we note what is an obvious violation causing an unsafe condition and do nothing to have the hazard rectified and someone is later injured. We first must attempt to address the matter with the site superintended. If it not rectified we would contact the Work Safe inspector for a formal inspection.

That is not to say we perform a job safety inspection. Just obvious hazards like improper trenching, fall arrest, impairment protection.

I was helping my parents frame their house about 10 years ago and my father had this old Makita circular saw that the guard would stick open every once in a while. Well, I am wearing steel toed boots, but it was raining so my parents were both just wearing the cheap rubber boots with he brown soles. I was using the saw and set it down on the plywood floor and this just happened to be one of those times when the guard didn't close. The saw climbed right over the toe of my boot, punching through the steel toe in places, but my toes didn't have a scratch on them. I remember the look on my parent's face then wordlessly going onto the little trailer they had on site to get their steel toes on. I see quite a few people around a construction site without safety footwear. a lot of the time it makes sense; painters are a good example. But once I had an owner walking around what will one day be her home (still owner by the contractor at that time) in flip flops while they were framing it. I had little problem telling her to get off the site until she had some appropriate footwear.
 
Mark K said:
On what basis can a building inspector refuse to perform inspections because of what is believed to be an OSHA violation. I suggest there is none.
The job of the building inspector is to help enforce the building code not OSHA or CalOSHA
On the other hand an inspector can refuse to go to some place where there is an unsafe condition. Still I do not see why this would prevent the inspection of the retaining wall reinforcing since the inspection could be done from the ground where the lack of the caps would not create a safety concern for the inspector..
The other option would be for the inspector to report the supposed violation to OSHA.
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I do not require my inspectors to do inspections if:
If an inspector is provided a ladder that is not safe.
if an inspector is not provided with a "safe site/building" to inspect.​
 
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