Common OSHA violations just may surprise you
Are you in compliance?
One way to minimize Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) violations is to find out what the most common violations are for your work settings. This information isn't hard to come by, as it's available on OSHA's own website by industry, using the North American Industry Classification System code.
"Use the data available to you to find out what the common violations are in your corner of the world. Then, take steps to avoid them," says Robert Emery, DrPH, vice president of safety, health, environment and risk management at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Emery is also an associate professor of occupational health at The University of Texas School of Public Health. "It's a nice quality assurance tool, and it's free."
Emery was part of a research team which collected data on the most common violations issued to research laboratories at colleges and universities. Data from five different regulatory agencies was examined, including OSHA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the state fire marshal, and radiation control and food inspection organizations. "It turned out that while some of the most common violations were where we put our emphasis on, others were not," says Emery.
For example, Emery expected the most common violation to involve the hazard communication standards. He was surprised to learn that for the period examined, it was actually related to the electrical standard.
"We put that information to use for education and prevention," he says. While Emery's department was already very focused on requirements like documenting lab safety training, the data reminded them to consider basic electrical safety such as broken plugs and cracked covers as well.
Of the top ten fire marshal violations, six involved doors. "What this tells us is the fire marshal focuses on doors, and so, we ought to focus on doors too," says Emery. "Door latches not working or doors being propped open are common problems, so let's make sure they are taken care of."
Are you in compliance?
To learn whether policies and procedures are compliant with Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards, create audit checklists for specific work areas, and train workers and supervisors to utilize these, recommends Franklin E. Mirer, PhD, CIH, professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at Hunter College School of Health Sciences in New York City.
"The notion that a hazard must be observed firsthand to be abated is a problem. A system must identify hazards when the professional isn't there," he says. "Also, hazards leading to the most grave injuries in manufacturing are present in maintenance and service activities, often on off-shifts."
In addition, places of employment which expose workers to hazards violate OSHA's General Duty Clause, even if the employer complies with all OSHA-specific standards.
"The exposures should be identified and abated, standards or not," says Mirer. "Assess the causes of each injury or illness, recordable or not. Start with the worst and most frequent first."
Mirer says that standards requiring documentation of training, inspection and worker notification are very important. "These prevent injuries before the fact and are easily documented, and generate high penalties after the fact," he says.
Mirer says to list all of these which apply to your workplace. Include energy lockout, hazard assessment, Personal Protective Equipment, Powered Material Handling Vehicle, injury and illness recordkeeping, process safety management, and hearing conservation.
Mirer notes that about half of disabling injuries are musculoskeletal disorders. "This is true in virtually every industry sector, so 1910 [hazard communication] compliance will do little to protect employees," he says.
Sources
For more information on identifying common violations in your industry, contact:
Robert Emery, DrPH, Vice President, Safety, Health, Environment and Risk Management, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (TX). Phone: (713) 500-8100. E-mail: [email protected]
For more information on policies to improve compliance, contact:
Franklin E. Mirer, PhD, CIH, Hunter College School of Health Sciences, New York, NY. Phone: (212) 481-7651. Fax: (212) 481-5260. E-mail: [email protected]
One way to minimize Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) violations is to find out what the most common violations are for your work settings. This information isn't hard to come by, as it's available on OSHA's own website by industry, using the North American Industry Classification System code.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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