Top safety violation table shows problem areas

Fall protection remained the most cited violation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration in fiscal year 2019, according to preliminary figures released by the agency in September.

Although the number of fall protection violations dropped to 6,010 in 2019 from 7,270 in 2018, fall protection has remained the top cited safety violation for nearly a decade, and inadequate fall protection training also remains an issue with a No. 8 spot on OSHA’s 2019 list.

“Obviously falls are one of the focus areas that we are trying to minimize,” said Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, noting that a lack of fall protection where workers are exposed to unprotected sides or an edge and a lack of training for employees on how to protect themselves from fall hazards remains an issue.

“Employers aren’t doing retraining when an employee has not retained” fall protection knowledge, and many employers also lack written certification verifying the training of their employees, he said.

The complete top 10 list of OSHA violations for fiscal year 2019 includes:

1. Fall protection: 6,010 violations

2. Hazard communication: 3,671 violations

3. Scaffolding: 2,813 violations

4. Lockout/tagout: 2,606 violations

5. Respiratory protection: 2,450 violations

6. Ladders: 2,345 violations

7. Powered industrial trucks: 2,093 violations

8. Fall protection training requirements: 1,773 violations

9. Machine guarding: 1,743 violations

10. Eye and face protection: 1,411 violations