Dangers from falls at construction sites remained the most frequently cited hazard on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) list of most-cited violations for fiscal year 2018, which ended Sept. 30, according to Bloomberg BNA.
Construction violations were the most commonly cited; construction site visits account for about half of OSHA's inspections. Other construction fall-related violations were ladders, scaffolding and training.
OSHA generally requires construction workers exposed to falls of 6 feet or more to wear protective gear, such as harnesses, or be protected by guardrails and be trained regarding how to avoid falling.
Electrical wiring requirements dropped off this year's list and was replaced by lack of eye and face protection for construction workers.
Following are the top 10 most-cited violations for fiscal year 2018:
- Fall protection at 7,270 violations
- Hazard communication at 4,552 violations
- Construction scaffolding at 3,336 violations
- Respiratory protection at 3,118 violations
- Lockout/tagout at 2,944 violations
- Construction ladders at 2,812 violations
- Powered industrial trucks at 2,294 violations
- Fall-protection training in construction at 1,982 violations
- Machine guarding at 1,972 violations
- Eye and face protection in construction at 1,536 violations
These numbers are preliminary; the final tally likely will be higher because OSHA has up to six months to issue citations following an inspection.
