OSHA’s Top 10 Violations for 2013
- Fall protection: Fall protection, according to OSHA, should be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry, and eight feet in long shoring operations.
- Hazard communication: The adoption of the GHS-aligned HazCom 2012 standard means a lot of big changes, so read the rule in its entirety.
- Scaffolding (construction): Workers must have proper fall protection when working on raised surfaces.
- Respiratory protection: Companies must provide appropriate respirators to employees as part of a respiratory protection program.
- Ladders: Common issues include non-parallel positioning relative to landings, too much or too little space between rungs, inadequate landing size, and ladder bases more than 12 inches off the ground.
- Machine guarding: Machine guards protect workers’ limbs, skin, and eyes from nip points, rotating parts, flying chips, and sparks.
- Powered industrial trucks: Ensure that forklifts and other industrial trucks are in top mechanical order. Operators must be trained and certified to operate vehicles safely.
- Electrical wiring methods: Trust wiring to licensed, bonded electricians. Use caution with extension cords.
- Lockout/tagout: Machinery or equipment can unexpectedly energize, start up, or release stored energy. Use professional-grade lockout and tagout supplies.
- Electrical general requirements: Avoid consumer-rated appliances for commercial work environments.
