Five Most Frequent Workplace Safety Violations in the U.S.

 Posted on August 10, 2018 in Workers' Compensation

All employees deserve to work in a relatively safe environment. By nature, some jobs are more dangerous than others, but they still must follow certain safety guidelines to prevent workplace injuries or deaths. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides a set of general and industry-specific guidelines for safety measures that should be taken in order to prevent injuries and death in the workplace. Unfortunately, not all workplaces always follow OSHA’s guidelines, which results in accidents that could have been easily prevented. Here are the most commonly cited violations that OSHA has reported during workplace inspections:

1. Fall Protection in Construction Industry

Fall protection violations were the most cited violation in 2017. This regulation states that construction employers have the duty to make sure that work and walking surfaces have enough strength and structure to hold employees. This regulation also states that there should be guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems in place when an employee is working in an area without a protected edge.

2. Communication with Employees about Hazardous Substances

This is OSHA’s second-most cited safety violation. Many companies do not adequately communicate the hazards of certain chemicals and substances to their employees. According to this regulation, employers must inform their workers about hazardous substances they are working with. They must also have in place a written hazard communication program, label their hazardous material containers properly, prepare and distribute safety sheets to employees and have employee training programs regarding hazardous substances.

3. Scaffolding Safety in Construction Industry

When construction companies use scaffolding, they must follow a certain set of standards to keep their employees safe. Employers must use scaffolding capable of supporting its own weight and at least four times the maximum intended load. The scaffolding must also be designed by a qualified person and assembled according to that design.

4. Respiratory Protection

The primary goal of companies whose workers are in environments with harmful fumes, dust, fogs, gases, smokes, or vapors should be to minimize the amount of these substances going into the air. While that is not always possible, employers are required to provide these employees with respirators to protect their health.

5. Control of Hazardous Energy

This regulation is intended to keep employees safe when they are servicing or maintaining machines and equipment that could unexpectedly start up or machines and equipment that store energy. This safety standard requires that these types of machines must have lockout or tagout devices to prevent an unexpected start up.

Consult with an Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Safety regulations exist for a reason--to prevent needless employee accidents and deaths. While it is an employee’s duty to follow safety regulations, it is the employer's duty to make sure that these regulations and rules are in place. If you have suffered from a workplace injury or a loved one has died on the job, you should contact a Bloomingdale workers’ compensation lawyer. The Law Offices of David W. Clark, P.C. can help you gain rightful compensation for your injuries. Call the office at 630-665-5678 to set up a consultation.

Sources:

https://www.osha.gov/Top_Ten_Standards.html

https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html