Every year at the National Safety Council's Safety Congress and Expo, OSHA releases its list of the ten most cited violations from the previous fiscal year.
That list for fiscal year 2015 was released in October of 2015.
Then, in December, OSHA updates that list with additional statistics, providing a more comprehensive, detailed look at the violations.
OSHA's now released those additional statistics as well. And we've got all the information for you below.
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Here's OSHA list of the most commonly cited standard violations for fiscal year 2015, including the additional statistics OSHA released in December, 2015.
One thing that stands out is that all ten standards were on list year's list too. The only difference is that last year's #5 and #6 switch places on this year's list. Last year, the Powered Industrial Trucks standard was #5 on the list and it's #6 this year, and Lockout/Tagout moved from #6 last year to #5 this year.
Another thing that stands out is the large number of Fall Protection citations (7,402). That's nearly 2,000 more citations than for the second standard on the list (Hazard Communication, 5,681). In fact, the section of the Fall Protection standard that is most commonly cited, Residential Construction, has 4,079 citations all on its own--that's enough to place it number four on this entire list!
A third thing that stands out is that 8 of the 10 standards on the list had fewer citations this year than last year, and 2 of the 10 standards saw more citations this year than last year from last year. It's encouraging that 8 of the 10 standards saw a drop in citations, although it's not clear why. We'd like to believe it's because people are violating fewer standards and working more safely, but that's hard to prove. On the other hand, it's discouraging that the number of citations increased for two standards. These include Lockout/Tagout, which increased from 3,117 to 3,308 (an overall increase of 191, which is 6.1% of the earlier year's total), and Machine Guarding, which increased from 2,520 to 2,540 (a smaller overall increase of 20, which is 0.8% of the earlier year's total).
The fourth thing that pops out is that OSHA also included the number of "willful" and "serious" violations for the year. OSHA defines a "willful" violation as a violation "committed with an intentional disregard of or plain indifference to the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act." And they define a "serious" violation as a violation "in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the employer knew or should have known about the hazard." We've included lists of serious willful violations near the bottom of this article.
The final thing that stands out is that OSHA also included a list of the ten largest proposed penalties for fiscal year 2015. We should strive for safety for all the right reasons, but if you wonder what the stick is that accompanies the carrot, these penalties are eye-opening. This list is at the very bottom of this article.
And with that intro, let's get on with lists.
Here are the top ten citations, listed from the standard with the most citations to the standard with the tenth-most citations.
Total citations- 7,402. A little less than the previous year, when there were 7,516.
Ranking in previous year-#1 last year (same as this year)
Top five sections cited-
Here's a sample of our Fall Prevention and Protection e-learning course.
Total citations- 5,681, a little less than the previous year's 6,148.
Ranking in previous year- #2 last year (same as this year)
Top five sections cited-
And here's a sample of our Hazard Communication e-learning course.
Total citations- 4,681, a little less than the previous year's 4,968.
Ranking in previous year- #3 (same as this year)
Top five sections cited-
And here's a sample of our Scaffolding e-learning course.
Total citations- 3,626, a little less than the previous year's 3,843.
Ranking in previous year- #4 (same as this year)
Top five sections cited-
And here's a sample of our Respiratory Protection e-learning course.
Total citations- 3,308, a little more than the previous year's 3,117. Notice this is the first standard on the list that saw an increase in citations instead of a decrease.
Ranking in previous year- #6 (one lower than this year, meaning this crawled up a notch on the list this year)
Top five sections cited-
Here's a sample of our Lockout/Tagout e-learning course.
Total violations- 3,004, a little less than the previous year's 3,147.
Ranking in previous year- #5 (one higher than this year, as Lockout/Tagout leapfrogged from #6 to #5)
Top five sections cited-
Here is a sample of our Forklift Safety e-learning course.
Total violations- 2,732, a little less than the previous year's 2,967.
Ranking in previous year- #7 (same as this year)
Top five sections cited (note there's a 2-way tie for spot #5)-
1. 1926.1053(b)(1) Requires ladder side rails to extend at least three feet above an upper landing surface, 1,512
2. 1926.1053(b)(4) Use of ladders restricted to only the purpose for which they were designed, 365
3. 1926.1053(b)(13) The top or top step of a ladder shall be not be used as a step, 278
4. 1926.1053(b)(16) Tagging and removing ladders from service portable ladders with structural defects, 150
5. 1926.1053(b)(5)(i) Non-self-supporting ladders shall be used at an angle such that the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder is approximately one-quarter of the working length of the ladder, 65
5. 1926.1053(b)(22) An employee shall not carry an object or load that could cause the employee to lose balance and fall, 65
Here is a sample of our Ladder Safety e-learning course.
Total violations- 2,624, a little less than the previous year's 2,967.
Ranking in previous year- #8 (same as this year)
Top five sections cited-
We have several e-learning courses related to electrical hazards. Check out the samples below.
Arc Flash Safety e-learning course.
NFPA 70E e-learning course.
Total violations- 2,540, a very little bit more than the previous year's 2,520. Still, it's noteworthy that this is only the second standard on the list that saw an increase in citations.
Ranking in previous year- #9 (same as this year)
Top five sections cited-
Here is a sample of our machine guarding e-learning course.
Total violations- 2,181, less than the previous year's 2,427.
Ranking in previous year- #10 (same as this year)
Top five sections cited-
Electrical Safety General Awareness e-learning course.
Electric Shock e-learning course.
Now that we've presented the inclusive "general" list of all the Top Ten citations, let's look at two smaller lists OSHA put together: the top ten "serious" and "willful" violations. Although the items in each of these lists include a smaller number of citations than the items in the general list above (these are sub-sets, remember), the serious and willful nature of the violations makes them very important.
As a reminder, here are some definitions from OSHA:
If you read the definition above, you'll notice it has two aspects. First, these violations include "a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result." And second, "the employer knew or should have known about the hazard." That second part is especially bad.
You'll notice that every standard on this list also appears on the larger, inclusive "general" list above, and that Fall Protection is on top once again.
Here's the list:
1. Fall Protection, 1926.501, 6,173 citations
2. Scaffolding, 1926.451, 4,281 citations
3. Hazard Communication, 1910.1200, 3,180 citations
4. Lockout/Tagout, 1910.147, 2,739 citations
5. Ladders, 1926.1053, 2,512 citations
6. Respiratory Protection, 1910.134, 2,250 citations
7. Machine Guarding, 1910.212, 2,242 citations
8. Powered Industrial Trucks, 1910.178, 2,182 citations
9. Electrical-Wiring Methods, 1910.305, 1,976 citations
10. Electrical-General Requirements, 1910.303, 1,557 citations
These are bad. You shouldn't intentionally disregard an OSHA standard and indifference is unacceptable as well.
We're not going to analyze this list in detail--it's pretty short and you can look at it quickly on your own--but we will point out that Fall Protection is on top of this list, just as it is with the general list. We'll also put an asterisk (*) next to standards listed below that don't appear on the larger general list above.
Here's the list:
1. Fall Protection, 1926.501, 161 citations
*2. Asbestos, 1926.1101, 47 citations
*3. Excavations, 1926.652, 44 citations
4. Scaffolding, 1926.451, 38 citations
5. Lockout/Tagout, 1910.147, 37 citations
6. Machine Guarding, 1910.212, 35 citations
*7. Permit-Required Confined Spaces, 1910.147, 22 citations
*8.Specific Excavation Requirements, 1926.651, 12 citations
*9. Fall Protection-Steel Erection, 1926.760, 11 citations
10. Respiratory Protection, 1926.134, 10 citations
*10. Occupational Noise Exposure, 1910.95, 10 citations
*10.Bloodborne Pathogens, 1910.1030, 10 citations
Source: All the information in this article about the various OSHA Top Ten lists come from the December issue of Safety+Health magazine, in an article titled "OSHA's Top Ten: Growing Data and Changing Inspection Strategies." The link you just passed gives you the online version. If you're looking at the print version, the article begins on page 47.
Here's a list of OSHA's biggest proposed penalties for the fiscal year. Remember, these are proposed penalties, so the companies may end up paying less.
1. $1.94 million, Joseph Kehrer/Kehrer Brothers Construction/D7 Roofing--16 egregious, nine willful, and six serious violations.
2. $1.77 million, Ashley Furniture--More than 1,0000 work-related injuries over a three-year period at their Winesburg, Ohio location.
3. $861,500, Case Farms Processing, Inc.--Many hazards and violations
4. $822,000, Lloyd Industries, Inc.--An amputation injury and, OSHA claims, "a pattern of defiance toward OSHA standards."
5. $604,300, Case Farms Processing, Inc. (Canton, Ohio location); and Callaghan and Callaghan--Two amputation injuries, many violations.
6. $530,000, Fastrack Erectors, Inc. and ARCO National Construction--KC Inc.--Fatal fall while working from heights, multiple violations.
7. $490,000, First Capital Insulation, Inc.--Asbestos exposure and multiple violations.
8. $477,900, Alfa Laval, Inc.--Violations discovered during inspection, many of which were noted in previous inspections; multiple violations.
9. $470,300, DMAC Construction LLC--Scaffolding hazards at multiple worksites; multiple violations.
10. $423,900, Hassell Construction Co., Inc.--Trenching-related injury, multiple violations.
Once you're done checking out the list above, and the links to the associated resources and free training materials, download our free 42-page guide to Effective EHS Training and start doing what you can to cut down the number of violations at your workplace.
Jeff Dalto, Senior Learning & Performance Improvement Manager
Jeff is a learning designer and performance improvement specialist with more than 20 years in learning and development, 15+ of which have been spent working in manufacturing, industrial, and architecture, engineering & construction training. Jeff has worked side-by-side with more than 50 companies as they implemented online training. Jeff is an advocate for using evidence-based training practices and is currently completing a Masters degree in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning from Boise State University. He writes the Vector Solutions | Convergence Training blog and invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.
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