Fall Protection Violations Remain OSHA’s Most Frequently Cited Safety Violation

OSHA has just published a preliminary list of the top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2015.  Although the category rankings show minor variations each year, the consistency of the top 10 safety citations is remarkably consistent.  If you are a regular Tech Talk reader, it will come as no surprise that Fall Protection remains the most frequently cited safety category, with the number of violations already eclipsing 2014 levels by over 9%.

In September, OSHA unveiled its preliminary list of most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2015 during the National Safety Council Congress & Expo.  The category list with relevant OSHA standard and number of safety violations includes:

1.    Fall Protection (1926.501) – 6,721
2.    Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – 5,192
3.    Scaffolding (1926.451) – 4,295
4.    Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 3,305
5.    Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – 3,002
6.    Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,760
7.    Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,489
8.    Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305) – 2,404
9.    Machine Guarding (1910.212) – 2,295
10.    Electrical – General Requirements (1910.303) – 1,973

Avoiding OSHA citations for fall protection violations starts with assessing your facility’s fall hazards, training protocols, and record keeping.  If you are wondering how your company is faring in these important safety categories, ask yourself a few questions….

• Have you ever completed a fall hazard assessment, and if so, who completed the task?  Did a fall protection company perform the assessment, or was it completed in-house?  What production areas or procedures have changed since the last assessment?
• Do you have a formal fall protection training program in place?  Who administers the program? Are the trainers and participants names included in a formal log?
• Does your company maintain written records regarding the inspection and recertification of engineered fall protection systems?
• Do you have documentation for engineered systems such as horizontal lifelines, rigid rail fall protection systems?

If you can confidently answer yes to all of the above, then more than likely your company is taking the proper steps to avoid an OSHA citation for a fall protection violation.  That said, if you have doubts, or if it has been some time since the above action items were last reviewed, it’s time to seek guidance from a company that specializes in fall protection.

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Diversified Fall Protection is a complete turnkey provider of OSHA compliant fall protection systems.  To learn more, contact Diversified Fall Protection for expert assistance with your fall arrest and fall protection safety requirements