THE TRUTH ABOUT: Funny workplace safety violations - The Untold Story

Every employer’s duty is to provide a work environment for its employees that’s up to date and in compliance with state and local regulations. That means that most often, employers and HR rely upon the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue guidance. Another important source of rules and guidance for companies is the ones issued by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and any of its state divisions, like Cal/OSHA.

Every year, OSHA unveils the Top 10 OSHA violations. The most recent list was announced on Oct. 12, 2021 during the 2021 NSC Safety Congress & Expo event in Orlando, Florida, and unsurprisingly, this list hardly changes. This may feel like a broken record that keeps on playing, but it’s still vital to proactively identify hazards and train employees to work safely and minimize risks at all times.

For the mind-blowing 11th year in a row, Fall Protection – General Requirements maintained its No. 1 position. Fall Protection, 1926.501 has been the number one most cited violation for years even though the fall protection standard is designed to prevent falls. According to statistics, it accounts for just about 40 percent of deaths in the construction industry. This suggests that the majority of fall accidents happen on residential work sites.

To prevent fall injuries and fatalities, it is critical that employers supply their workers with guardrail systems, safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems when working at heights. In addition to just providing proper fall protection, the employer is also responsible for ensuring that all employees are trained on how to properly use fall protection and know when to use it.

As for OSHA’s top 10 list, the notable changes in 2021 included Hazard Communication (No. 5) falling three spots from its 2020 ranking of No. 2; Ladders (No. 3) rising two spots from No. 5 in 2020; and Powered Industrial Trucks (No. 9) falling two spots from No. 7 the previous year.

The deputy director of OSHA'S Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Patrick Kapust, urges employers and workers to review this list of violations and assess their own workplace. “Employers need to make sure their employees are protected. The Top 10 tells us what OSHA is finding over and over again on a routine basis. Employers, use the list as a tool to assess your own workplace,” Kapust said.