The No. 2 violation on the annual list of top 10 OSHA citations involves a regulation which has been significantly updated recently.
The list was released at the National Safety Council‘s 2015 Congress & Expo by Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs.
The top 10 for FY 2015 are:
- Fall Protection (1926.501) – 6,721 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – 5,192
- Scaffolding (1926.451) – 4,295
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 3,305
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – 3,002
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,760
- Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,489
- Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305) – 2,404
- Machine Guarding (1910.212) – 2,295, and
- Electrical – General Requirements (1910.303) – 1,973.
These figures are for FY 2015 – Oct. 1, 2014 through Sept. 8, 2015. The figures will be updated after the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, 2015.
The list is mostly the same as last year, with the exception of Electrical Wiring Methods and Ladders switching places on the list.
“In injury prevention, we go where the data tell us to go,” said NSC President Deborah Hersman. “The OSHA Top 10 list is a roadmap that identifies the hazards you want to avoid.”
Hazard Communication remains a strong No. 2 on the most-cited violations list.
The stakes for companies are raised these days regarding hazcom because of OSHA’s adoption of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals into its existing chemical standard.
As of June 1, 2015, all new chemical labels and safety data sheets had to conform to GHS. Even so, it’s possible some old-style labels and SDSs will be around for a while. Distributors may still ship products with the old labels until Dec. 1, 2015.
Under GHS, chemical labels contain a signal word, pictogram and hazard statement for each hazard class and category. There are nine standardized pictograms which must be surrounded by a red border. Precautionary statements may also be included.
SDSs now have a 16-section format. The sections include identification of the chemical, first-aid steps for exposure and disposal considerations.
While the number of hazcom violations issued by OSHA hasn’t increased by a huge amount, employers should make sure their chemical hazard training is up to date with the revised standard.
