Posted on October 5, 2015

2015 Top 10 OSHA ViolationsWith the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.

Visit the OSHA asbestos page to learn how to prevent occupational asbestos exposure and to answer the top four questions ADAO commonly receives are:  What is asbestos? What are the hazards of asbestos? What can be done to reduce the hazards of asbestos? How can OSHA Help?

David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, states, “worker injuries, illnesses and deaths should never be accepted as simply ‘the cost of doing business’. Even one death on the job is one too many, and every workplace injury or illness places a heavy burden on our nation.”

“Since 1970, workplace fatalities have been reduced by more than 65 percent and occupational injury and illness rates have declined by 67 percent,” cites OSHA. “At the same time, U.S. employment has almost doubled.”

Hazard communication standard and respiratory protection violations rank number 2 and 4 respectively of the top most frequently cited standards in fiscal year 2015.

“In injury prevention, we go where the data tell us to go,” said National Safety Council President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman. “The OSHA Top 10 list is a roadmap that identifies the hazards you want to avoid on the journey to safety excellence.”

The OSHA Top 10 most frequently cited standards in 2015 fiscal year are:

1.       Fall Protection (1926.501) – 6,721

2.       Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – 5,192

3.       Scaffolding (1926.451) – 4,295

4.       Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 3,305

5.       Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – 3,002

6.       Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,760

7.       Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,489

8.       Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305) – 2,404

9.       Machine Guarding (1910.212) – 2,295

10.    Electrical – General Requirements (1910.303) – 1,973

Download the free “OSHA’s Top 10 2015 Violations!” poster from Safety Awakenings.

As we say at ADAO, “Hear Asbestos. Think Prevention.”

Linda Reinstein

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