Hot off the press… the new OSHA Top 10 list is here!
Every year OSHA compiles a list of the ten most-cited standard violations from the previous fiscal year. OSHA publishes this list to alert employers about these commonly cited standards so they can take necessary steps to find and fix recognized hazards before OSHA shows up. The 2022 fiscal year statistics, which ends Sept. 30th, have just been released. They show some slight changes from the 2021 list. Is your company guilty of any safety violations from this year’s top 10 list?
The annual list is announced every year and aims to alert employers and safety professionals about frequent citations and violations to help prevent their occurrence. Notable among the list for 2022 is that fall protection remains at the top of the list for the 12th year in a row, followed by hazard communication and respiratory protection.
Not surprisingly, the list’s actual violations stayed the same as the previous year, though some standards moved up or down. Here’s the complete list:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) 5260 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200) 2424 violations
- Respiratory Protection (1910-134) 2185 violations
- Ladders (1926.1053) 2143 violations
- Scaffolding (1926.451) 2058
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) 1977 violations
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) 1749 violations
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) 1533 violations
- Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) 1401 violations
- Machine Guarding (1910.212) 1370 violations
On November 2, 2015, the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act was enacted, which allowed OSHA to amend their penalties annually according to the Consumer Price Index and cost of living adjustment multiplier. The reasoning behind the annual increased was to improve the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and maintain their deterrent effect. You can see the summary of the proposed civil penalties below:
| Type of Violation | Penalty Minimum | Penalty Maximum |
| Serious |
$1,036 per violation |
$14,502 per violation |
|
Other-Than-Serious |
$0.00 per violation |
$14,502 per violation |
|
Posting Requirements |
$0.00 per violation |
$14,502 per violation |
|
Failure to Abate |
N/A |
$14,502 per day unabated beyond abatement date [generally limited to 30 days maximum] |
| Willful or Repeated | $10,360* per violation | $145,027 per violation |
OSHA’s annual top 10 list helps define trends so organizations can find the appropriate solutions. However, despite advancements in workplace safety, we continue to see the same types of violations each year. It’s more important than ever that employers seek education and resources to keep their workers safe.
Header Photo by Ümit Yıldırım on Unsplash