OSHA has released its “Top Ten” list of the most cited safety violations of last year.  The largest number of violations were observed in the Construction Industry.  The Top Ten include:

1. Failure to comply with the General Standards for Fall Protection (Construction Industry);
2. Violations of the Hazard Communication Standards (General Industry);
3. Violations of Standards for the use of ladders (Construction);
4. Failure to comply with Respiratory Protection Standards (General Industry);
5. Violations of Scaffolding Standards (Construction);
6. Failure to comply with Lockout/Tagout Standards (General Industry);
7. Improper operation of powered industrial trucks (General Industry);
8. Improper fall protection training of employees (Construction);
9. Failure to provide personal protective equipment for face and eyes (Construction); and
10. Failure to maintain and utilize required Machine Guarding (General Industry.

This list should be reviewed by each employer engaged in construction or general industry in order to develop a safety plan, including employee safety training, to make certain these “hot button” issues are fully covered.