OSHA’s Top 5 Safety Violations at Worksites

A report is released annually by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) at the National Safety Council’s Safety Congress & Expo, showing the top five most common workplace safety standard violations. OSHA’s list of the top safety violations is for October 2020 to August 2021. In addition, OSHA inspectors carried out remote inspections through online meetings and complaint responses. In this article, we will look at the most common work violations and why businesses must ensure they are covered with insurance.

1.     Fall Protection

Falls are the most common accident in the workplace, and over 5200 violations of fall protection were reported during the 2021 fiscal year. Roofing contractors are the most likely to report accidents, which is not all that surprising. Still, construction companies and masonry firms are also risky businesses. Citations given were mainly for a lack of protection near unprotected edges or sides and similar.

2.     Respiratory Protection

Respiratory issues are the second most common work accident, with over 2,500 violations regarding respiratory protection. Again, contractors working for painting firms and body shops were particularly at-risk. Workers claim that employers don’t respect how well items fit concerning PPE, and there was no medical evaluation.

3.     Ladders

Work accidents involving ladders reach over 2,000 violations. The companies that don’t respect safety measures include roofing businesses, painting contractors, and others that work at height. The main issue is that contractors allow workers to use the ladder’s top step. Other problems include having broken ladders, no side rails that extend beyond the landing surface, and using ladders for anything other than their purpose.

4.     Scaffolders

There were approximately 1950 scaffolders violations in 2021. The firms mentioned by OSHA were typically those that work at height. Complaints were usually about improper or inadequate support on the ground and missing safety guardrails.

5.     Eye and Face Protection

This refers to personal protective and lifesaving equipment, which adds up to 1500 violations. The main culprits are businesses in the construction department. Workers complained about not having proper eye or face protection when handling flying objects, molten metal, liquid chemicals, or acids. Another major complaint was regarding the lack of side protection.

How to Get Workers Comp Insurance and Why it’s Important

The Hartford talks about how and where to get yourself workers comp to protect your business and drive it forward in their blog. You can even get a worker’s comp quote online whenever you have time. It’s salient to have this type of insurance, as this allows your business to avoid the actual costs of medical expenses incurred by an employee following a workplace safety violation.

The predominant benefit of a workers’ compensation policy is that it lowers your liability for work-related injuries and illnesses. In the absence of such a policy, an employee may sue your company for medical fees or lost wages resulting from a work-related illness or injury.

Often businesses disregard workers’ compensation insurance, but work accidents happen daily. So it’s better to seek expert advice to know if your business needs it.