Top 10 OSHA Safety Violations for Fiscal 2016

OSHA has released its preliminary list of the 10 most frequently cited safety violations for the fiscal year, compiled from about 32,000 workplace inspections:

1. Fall protection—6,929 citations (+ 208 from 2015)
2. Hazard communications—677 citations (+485)
3. Scaffolds—3,906 citations (-389)
4. Respiratory protection—3,585 citations (+280)
5. Lockout/tagout—3,414 citations (+412)
6. Powered industrial trucks—2,860 citations (+100)
7. Ladders—2,639 citations (+150)
8. Machine guarding—2,451 citations (+156)
9. Electrical wiring—1,940 citations (-464)
10. Electrical, general requirements—1,704 citations (-269)

“One remarkable thing about the list is that it rarely changes,” said OSHA Director of Enforcement Programs Thomas Galassi, writing in a recent agency blog.
“More than 4,500 workers are killed on the job every year, and approximately 3 million are injured.
“If all employers simply corrected the top 10 hazards, we are confident the number of deaths, amputations, and hospitalizations would drastically decline.”