Top 10 safety violations for 2009

OSHA has released its preliminary list of the top 10 most frequent workplace safety violations for 2009.

The number of violations in the top 10 increased almost 30% over the same time period in 2008.

The violations are:

1. Scaffolding: 9,093
2. Fall protection: 6,771
3. Hazard communication: 6,378
4. Respiratory protection: 3,803
5. Lockout/tagout: 3,321
6. Electrical (wiring): 3,079
7. Ladders: 3,072
8. Powered industrial trucks (forklifts): 2,993
9. Electrical: 2,556
10. Machine guarding: 2,364.

OSHA will update these numbers later in 2009. The preliminary list was released at the National Safety Council’s annual congress.

Fred Hosier

Fred Hosier is the editor of Safety News Alert and has spent more than 20 years covering safety. He's been in the communications business since 1985, including 11 years in radio.