Page 16 - OHS, November/December 2022

OSHA TOP 10
OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards for FY 2022
Let’s take a look at each standard and OSHA’s guidelines and requirements
BY ALEX SAURMAN
Preliminary data for OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequneltly Cited Standards for the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) were announced at the National
Safety Council Safety Congress & Expo this year by OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Program’s Deputy Director Patrick Kapust in a session called “OSHA’s Top Ten Violations,” moderated by NSC’s Associate Editor of Safety+Health Kevin Druley.
The violations for FY22 shared at the session used preliminary data from October 1, 2021, to September 6, 2022. This data was not final at the time of the announcement in September. Let’s take a look at what the top 10 violations for FY22 are.
Machinery and Machine Guard
Ranking number 10 is the standard for machinery and machine guarding. Since last year, the number of violations for this standard has increased. In Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21), OSHA’s preliminary data showed that 1,113 violations were issued for this standard. Over 200 additional violations were issued in FY22, for a total of 1,370.
Machinery and machine guarding are meant to protect workers from machine hazards. There are many types of machine guarding that employers can use, but the four general types are “fixed, interlocked, adjustable and self-adjusting.”1
Although the OSHA standard on machinery and machine guarding, 1910.212, specifies many types of machines that typically require guarding, like power presses, portable power tools, guillotine cutters and jointers, it does not
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provide a complete list. Workers may be exposed to multiple hazards through working with or around machines, some
on fall protection, 1926.503, down only 110 from the previous fiscal year.
Training workers on fall protection is one of many ways to reduce the number of workplace fatalities from falls. Under the standard, employers must educate workers through a training program, which has to include hazard identification, procedures for mitigating them and fall protection and fall arrest systems, among other requirements.
After training, the employer must have a written certification record proving the employee finished the training, with dates and signatures required. There is no expiration on the training, but retraining may be required if the employee proves they are unfamiliar with the elements in the training or if changes lead to the training or specific fall equipment becoming “obsolete.”5
Powered Industrial Trucks
Climbing its way in the ranks this year is violations under OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks standard. Last fiscal year, this standard ranked ninth. This year, it’s the seventh, with 1,749 violations.
Powered industrial trucks, or forklifts, are used in a variety of industries and settings. In the U.S. alone, it’s estimated that there are over 1.5 million forklift operators.6 With so many workers using and being around this equipment, it’s important to know how to keep them safe. Here are a couple of ways employers can mitigate risks.
Training. Make sure your worker is qualified to work. Forklift operators must complete training and evaluations as outlined in OSHA standard 1910.178. These trainings include formal instruction, practical training and an evaluation.
Inspections. Inspections must be performed on a daily, pre-shift basis, according to OSHA. Checklists for these inspections are often provided by the manufacturer. If an item is found to malfunction or be inoperable, the forklift should be removed from service and sent to be fixed.
Safe Environments. Hazards like blind corners or items blocking the path can
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from “rotating parts” or “sparks.”
Eye and Face Protection
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This fiscal year, the standard for eye and face protection dropped to ninth on the list instead of the previous fiscal year’s ranking as eighth. In FY22, 1,401 violations were issued for eye and face protection. Almost the same number of violations were issued for FY21, according to preliminary data.
The eye and face protection standard, 1926.102, requires employers to ensure that workers use protection when exposed to certain hazards, including “flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.”3 These hazards expose workers to potential eye and face injuries, including blindness.
OSHA notes that protection needs to “comply” with one of three listed American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards—Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices (ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2010 or ANSI Z87.1- 2003) and Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection (ANSI Z87.1-1989 (R-1998)).
Fall Protection –
Training Requirements
In 2020, 645 workers lost their lives after a fall to a lower level, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.4 In FY22, 1,556 violations were issued for OSHA’s standard