OSHA Violations: The 2010 Top 10 List of Most Commonly Cited OSHA Safety Violations

David Letterman has his Top 1- list and so does OSHA! OSHA just released the top 10 most frequently cited violations of OSHA standards for all companies and industries in 2010. OSHA made approximately 94,000 citations in 2010. This list of top 10 accounts for almost half of all violations issued by OSHA. Here it is with the regulation, a link to the exact language of the regulation and citation, a general description and the total of penalties assessed (the number of assessments is from 2009, 2010's details are not out yet, just the ranking: (sources OSHA.gov, : National Safety Council)  The NSC notes that thenumber of top 10 violations has increased almost 30 percent over the same time period of the prior year .

1. 1926.451 – Scaffolding  - (same rank as 2009) - 9,093 violations - Scaffold accidents most often result from the planking or support giving way, or from the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

2. 1926.501 – Fall Protection - (same rank as 2009) - 6,771 violations - Any time a worker is at a height of four feet or more, the worker is at risk and needs to be protected. Fall protection must be provided at four feet in general industry, five feet in maritime and six feet in construction.

3. 1910.1200 – Hazard Communication -(same rank as 2009) -  6,378 violations - Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import, and prepare labels and safety data sheets to convey the hazard information to their downstream customers.

4. 1910.134 – Respiratory Protection - (same rank as 2009) - 3,803 violations - Respirators protect workers against insufficient oxygen environments, harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors and sprays. These hazards may cause cancer, lung impairment, other diseases or death.

5. 1926.1053 – Ladders - (was #7 in 2009) - 3,072 violations - Occupational fatalities caused by falls remain a serious public health problem. The US Department of Labor (DOL) lists falls as one of the leading causes of traumatic occupational death, accounting for eight percent of all occupational fatalities from trauma.

6. 1910.147 – Lockout/Tagout- (was #5 in 2009) - 3,321 violations - "Lockout-Tag out" refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

7. 1910.305 – Electrical, Wiring Methods - (was #6 in 2009) - 3,079 violations - Working with electricity can be dangerous. Engineers, electricians and other professionals work with electricity directly, including working on overhead lines, cable harnesses, and circuit assemblies. Others, such as office workers and sales people, work with electricity indirectly and may also be exposed to electrical hazards.

8. 1910.178 – Powered Industrial Trucks - (was #8 in 2009) -  2,993 violations - Each year, tens of thousands of injuries related to powered industrial trucks (PIT), or forklifts, occur in US workplaces. Many employees are injured when lift trucks are inadvertently driven off loading docks, lifts fall between docks and an unsecured trailer, they are struck by a lift truck, or when they fall while on elevated pallets and tines.

9. 1910.303 – Electrical, General Requirements - (was #9 in 2009) - 2,556 violations - Working with electricity can be dangerous. Engineers, electricians, and other professionals work with electricity directly, including working on overhead lines, cable harnesses, and circuit assemblies. Others, such as office workers and sales people, work with electricity indirectly and may also be exposed to electrical hazards.

10.  1910.212 – Machine Guarding - (was #10 in 2009) - 2,364 violations - Any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact injures the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be eliminated or controlled.