Page 22 - OHS, November/December 2021

OSHA TOP 10
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ach year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) releases preliminary data to support their latest Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards list at the National Safety Council’s Safety
Aluminum Parts Manufacturer. In another release published on September 27, OSHA detailed an investigation that involved a Ravenna, Ohio aluminum parts manufacturer forgoing machine guarding practices that ultimately led to the death of a 43-year- old worker. According to the OSHA investigation, the employee was allowed to bypass a guarding mechanism designed to protect from the barrier door closing. Because of this, and a malfunction in the equipment, the worker’s head was struck by the barrier door as it closed, killing the employee as he loaded a part into the machine.
In a statement, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick said, “A worker lost his life because the company put the value of production speed before the safety of their employees. OSHA will continue to hold bad actors accountable and emphasize the importance of complying with safety and health requirements that can save lives.”2
Powered Industrial Trucks
Coming in at number nine in the list is Powered Industrial Trucks, general requirements (29 CFR 1910.178). According to Kapust, the preliminary data showed that there were 1,420 violations in fiscal year 2021. This is a bit of a decline from the number violations in fiscal year 2020, which reported 1,936 violations.
When it comes to safely operating Powered Industrial Trucks, OSHA strongly recommends safety professionals to be aware of the conditions at your workplace so that you can identify potential hazards. Let’s break down a few aspects of the workplace that could lead to additional hazards for forklift operators:
Physical Conditions. Surface or ground conditions are important when safely operating a lift truck. Operating surfaces must be strong enough to support the machine, its load and operator. It must also be free of holes, grease, oil or obstructions that could cause the forklift to skid, bounce or possibly tip over.
Pedestrian Traffic. Many pedestrians or bystanders are injured in forklift-related accidents so it is important to understand when these injuries could occur and how to prevent them. Keep an eye out for situations that might cause a forklift to strike a bystander or for a forklift’s load to fall, causing injuries.
Loading Docks. Loading docks can be fatal for lift truck operators if hazards are not properly identified. Safety professionals should look for potential hazards such as falling off the edge of the dock and skidding or slipping due to wet or icy conditions. You should be sure to maintain a safe distance from the edge, keep working surfaces clean and clear and paint the edges of the loading dock to improve visibility.3
Eye and Face Protection
Personal Protective Equipment and Life Safety Equipment—Eye and Face Protection (29 CFR 1926.102) came in at number eight in the list and is the first standard for the construction industry. According to the preliminary data, there were 1,452 violations, a decline from the 1,621 violations in fiscal year 2020.
Congress & Expo in partnership with Safety + Health magazine. This year, the newest information for fiscal year 2021 was announced by Directorate of Enforcement Programs Patrick Kapust in a presentation called, “See it live: OSHA’s Top 10.” Kapust announced the newest lineup and the number of violations for each standard between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021.
Let’s first take a look at the list:
OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards
1. Fall Protection, general requirements (29 CFR 1926.501)
2. Respiratory Protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) 3. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)
4. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR
1926.451)
5. Hazard Communication Standard, general requirements (29
CFR 1910.1200)
6. Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), general
requirements (29 CFR 1910.147)
7. Fall Protection—Training Requirements (29 CFR 1926.503) 8. Eye and Face Protection (29 CFR 1926.102)
9. Powered Industrial Trucks, general requirements (29 CFR
1910.178)
10. Machinery and Machine Guarding, general requirements (29
CFR 1910.212)
Now that you’ve seen the lineup, let’s take a more in-depth look at the new Top 10, starting with the standard that saw the fewest number of violations in the list: Machinery and Machine Guarding.
Machinery and Machine Guarding
Once again, Machine Guarding is at the bottom of the list. While this might be the last standard on the Top 10, it is most certainly not the least. In fiscal year 2021, 1910.212 saw 1,113 violations. While this number is technically down from fiscal year 2020, the issue remains the same—workplaces are not putting together proper machine guarding programs that keep workers safe.
For example, there were several news releases from OSHA during the time of the preliminary data for FY 2021 that highlight some of the reasons why machine guarding is so important.
Metal Stamping Manufacturer. According to a press release on July 19, an El Paso, Texas metal stamping manufacturer failed to protect its workers from the dangers of moving machine parts and as a result a worker suffered the amputation of two fingers inside a 500-ton hydraulic press. After an investigation, OSHA found that the company failed to use required machine guards to prevent employees from coming into contact with machines’ moving parts and did not conduct regular inspections on the equipment which led to machine malfunctions.1
22 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 www.ohsonline.com