NSC: OSHA Issues Top 10 Most Cited Violations

Sept. 24, 2008
OSHA revealed its list of top 10 most cited violations on the expo floor during the National Safety Council’s (NSC) 96th Annual Congress and Expo in Anaheim, Calif., with scaffolding, hazard communication and fall protection violations topping the list.

NSC: OSHA Issues Top 10 Most Cited Violations

OSHA revealed its list of top 10 most cited violations on the expo floor during the National Safety Council’s (NSC) 96th Annual Congress and Expo in Anaheim, Calif., with scaffolding, hazard communication and fall protection violations topping the list.

Richard Fairfax, OSHA’s director of enforcement, presented the most cited violations on the expo floor the morning of Sept. 23. This list is similar to the top 10 violations OSHA has recorded in the past, showing that the same problems crop up repeatedly at facilities across the country.

“These are the same top 10 violations we had last year, and the year before,” Fairfax said. “And they tie directly to safety and health risks for workers.”

The full list includes:

  1. Scaffolding – 7,027 violations
  2. Hazard Communication – 4,973 violations
  3. Fall Protection – 4,797 violations
  4. Respiratory Protection – 3,062 violations
  5. Lockout/Tagout – 2,937 violations
  6. Electrical - Wiring – 2,524 violations
  7. Powered Industrial Trucks – 2,437 violations
  8. Machine Guarding - General – 2,138 violations
  9. Ladders – 2,135 violations
  10. Electrical - General

Fairfax urged the NSC Congress attendees to keep these violations in mind when they return to their facilities.

“This is what OSHA is focusing on,” he said. “Look for this stuff.”

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