Things to Watch to Avoid an OSHA Citation

 

The Top 5 Most Common OSHA Citations in Industrial Plants

 

OSHA enforces standards designed to safeguard employees against dangerous workplace conditions. OSHA inspections identify any potential hazards, and employers must abate those risks to avoid being issued citations by OSHA.

OSHA frequently issues citations against companies for violations that pose risks to workers and impact bottom-lines, with falling hazards, hazard communication issues, confined spaces and other risks being among the top five violations in industrial plants.

1. Scaffolding

Construction industry workers rely on scaffolding to complete work at higher levels of a building. Although these structures are integral components, if not designed and constructed properly they pose risks that must be managed to ensure workers can perform safely on them.

OSHA's scaffolding standards offer guidelines to employers when using scaffolds as a form of protection at work, from tags and weak spots in structures to safety requirements and inspection records. Falls are one of the leading causes of work-related injuries; OSHA provides standards on this matter which must be observed.

Hazard Communication Standards. Companies handling chemicals must establish and implement a written hazard communication program, clearly mark all chemical labels, and have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) readily available for reference. Respiratory Protection Standard is another area in which many companies fall short; this standard provides guidelines to protect employees who may be exposed to airborne particles caused by welding, cutting, sanding, grinding, cleaning or any other process that produces hazardous airborne particles; it also addresses procedures for air testing, fit testing, medical evaluations/training as well as respirator maintenance/repair.

2. Lockout/Tagout

OSHA releases annually its most frequently cited violations list to help employers and risk professionals understand which safety standards need to be prioritized in order to avoid costly fines and injuries.

One of the most frequent violations is lockout/tagout, an OSHA standard that establishes procedures to safeguard employees during servicing and maintenance on machines with hazardous energies by temporarily disabling them to protect against injury during servicing and maintenance activities. According to OSHA estimates, lockout/tagout saves about 120 lives each year as well as 50,000 injuries.

This standard applies to any machine with electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or chemical energy that could lead to injury. To comply with it effectively, a program must be put in place that includes training employees on all forms of energy sources as well as having policies for isolating them before work commences.

Review procedures regularly and train employees on how to identify hazards, while minor tool changes, adjustments, or services essential to the operation of a machine may not fall under LOTO procedures as long as they don't require restarting or reenergizing of equipment. It is also crucial that outside contractors working on your machine be informed of its rules so that all processes necessary for reaching zero energy state are followed appropriately.

3. Confined Spaces

Confined spaces, defined as any enclosed areas that were never intended or constructed to be inhabited by people, pose serious hazards that are potentially life-threatening to occupants. They could contain low oxygen levels, hazardous gasses and vapors or even uncontrollable fires and explosions - potentially making these hazardous environments the perfect breeding grounds for disease transmission or spontaneous combustion events.

Workers entering confined spaces on a regular basis require proper training and safety equipment in place, including permit systems, trained attendant(s), and rescue plans with specific rescue equipment ready for use.

A confined space may be above or below ground and small or large in size; such spaces include tanks, hoppers, boiler rooms, septic tanks, utility tunnels, silos and sewers as examples of such places. Contained spaces also exist inside truck or rail tank cars, aircraft hangars or fish holds on ships as potential fish hold locations with inadequate oxygen supplies, toxic gases that asphyxiate workers or potential explosion hazards as well as limited entry and exit points which leave workers potentially trapped inside these spaces.

4. Hazard Communication

The Hazard Communication standard ensures employees have access to accurate chemical information and the necessary PPE for their work, such as labels, safety data sheets, and training to understand potential threats of chemicals found within their plant.

2022 saw an upward shift for both hazard communication and respiratory protection; LOTO continued its dominant position due to COVID-19 compliance mandates and vaccination programs administered by CDC.

At its core, workplace monitoring and evaluation against industry standards is vitally important. A proactive approach to safety utilizing tools that streamline documentation, team training, document digitization and success coaching can go a long way toward keeping your organization legally compliant.

5. Forklifts

Every year, hundreds of workers are injured due to forklift accidents. Common incidents include being struck by lift trucks, falling off elevated pallets or tines and when trucks drive off loading docks or between docks and an unsecured trailer causing property damage; additionally, forklifts have caused injuries when driving through overhead sprinklers or racks causing further property damages.

Powered industrial trucks (commonly referred to as forklifts) rank fifth on the list of most frequently cited violations, with electric or gas forklifts typically using diesel, LPG, CNG or lead-acid batteries as fuel sources. Operators must first be certified and evaluated in their abilities prior to operating any forklift equipment.

Monitoring OSHA's annual releases of top citations can help your organization implement the necessary controls to avoid incidents and violations at work.  To avoid common hazard areas, you should download OSHA checklists that apply to your company and use them to evaluate your workplace against these standards.