The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a section of the United States Department of Labor, is a regulation agency that sets and implements regulations for workplace safety. OSHA also offers safety training and education for working areas.
When an organization does not abide by OSHA’s regulations and doesn’t offer a safe working environment for its workers, it is prone to incurring penalties, including a fine. In this blog, we will discuss the most common OSHA violations.
What Are OSHA Violations?
OSHA violations occur when workplaces don’t meet safety and health regulations established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These standards are designed to minimize workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
Violations can be categorized into different types, including serious, other-than-serious, willful, repeated, and failure to abate.
The OSHA Act is utilized in most work areas in the United States, offering general safety regulations to many employees and workplace health measures to private and covered public sector employees.
The Act needs employers to offer employees proper working conditions and implement OSHA safety and health regulations. In case of problems, employers should find and correct them.
How Are Violations Discovered?
OSHA constantly does on-site inspections of the work environment, mostly without giving notice. However, the inspection could emerge due to complaints from workers about forthcoming safety risks.
When an irregularity is found during the inspection, OSHA issues a citation to the organization or the owner with a penalty. Penalties vary based on the type of violation and will incur the following fees as of January 2024:
- Serious, Other-Than-Serious, & Posting Requirements: $16,131 per violation
- Failure to Abate: $16,131 per day beyond the abatement date
- Willful or Repeated Violations: $134,937 per violation
OSHA citations give details of when irregularities are committed and a deadline of when the deadline should be corrected.
Most Common Cited Violations and How to Avoid Them
Top-ranking worker safety minimizes future violations, stops something from happening, and provides your employees with sufficient support and peace of mind. Choosing to inspect the workplace yourself, communicating with employees about safety needs, making a site-specific safety plan, and ensuring everything is updated and safe will assist in creating a positive workplace.
ROI safety services show safety needs concerning fall protection, including whether the fall protection systems are accurate, how to place them, and where they need to be used.Here are some of the common violations:
Fall Protection and General Requirements
This regulation mostly safeguards employees who work on horizontal or vertical walking-working surfaces not protected by a side more than 6 feet off the ground. Here are some ways to enable your fall protection to meet OSHA requirements:
- Ensure either railing or maintenance hole cover safeguards all the floor holes so employees don’t walk into them.
- Place guardrails and toe brands to stop employees from falling into or on hazardous machines or workplace equipment.
- Suppose your workplace has employees working at heights where fall protection is needed. In that case, you should offer PPE like safety harnesses, safety nets, stair railings, and handrails to keep suspended employees stable and safeguarded while off the ground.
Hazard Communication
ROI safety services cover chemical risks, including those produced in the workplace and imported from the workplace. It also shows hazardous communication standards, meaning how you communicate the future dangers of the chemicals to your workers. Here is how to prevent a hazard communication violation:
- Ensure you analyze the risks of any chemicals you produce or bring to the workplace and assemble labels and other safety measures to communicate this information to employees and customers.
- Ensure employees have an approach to safety materials, state risks clearly, and train them to deal with dangerous chemicals safely.
Ladder
Most safety standards cover the use of ladders in the work environment. A general need applies to safe ladder utilization in many work areas. Here’s how to meet working standards using ladders:
- Ensure all workers maintain three-point contact, using two hands and a foot or two feet and a hand- especially while climbing up or down a ladder.
- Give workers sufficient room to step down from the ladder safely.
- Check all ladders before use to ensure they are free from damage or slipping hazards, such as grease and oil.
- Use ladders that are stable and straight surfaces or with sufficient security to keep them intact.
Respiratory Protection
Respiratory protection involves several things, from making workspace respiratory protection programs to worker safety training and medical analysis to respirator fit testing, maintenance, and use. Here is how to prevent respiratory protection violations:
- Make and implement a workplace for a respiratory protection program.
- Ensure all workers use proper respiratory protection if they’re prone to exposure to hazardous products.
- Ensure all employees wear the proper respirators for the risks they are exposed to and that the equipment is working and arranged properly.
- Offer workers frequent medical analysis, respirator fit testing, and safety training.
Let ROI Safety Services Help You Avoid OSHA Violations
Workers are obligated to have a safe working environment. If you are an employee struggling with a workplace safety risk, you can contact ROI safety services if your employer is not meeting your requirements.
As an employer seeking ways to make your workspace compliant, contact your local ROI office or fill out the online form.
