OSHA is seriously cracking down on things you need to know about, especially in 2019 !
A new rule on injury reporting was published on January 25, 2019. So, you have less than 2 weeks to electronically file the 300 A Injury Report--the collection of injury data from 2018. In past years, failing to file can result in some really stiff penalties---some, close to $13,000. WOW !
And, the ones below are the violations OSHA is really focused on. Here’s a list of the top 10 Violations for Fiscal Year 2018:
Fall Protection*
Hazard Communication
Scaffolding
Respiratory Protection
Lock Out/Tag Out
Ladders*
Powered Industrial Trucks (including forklifts and hand trucks)
Fall Protection Training Requirements
Machine Guarding
Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment--eye and face protection
For each of these violations, there is always a triggering event that brings OSHA on the scene, , and it ranges from a planned inspection to a fatality. Read to the end of this blog to see how you can avoid at least 2 of the violations, minimize the risk of injury, increase productivity and make your workers a lot happier.
The top 5 violations were the same ones as in FY2016, according to Patrick Kapust, the Deputy Director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs. He also says, “If you are serious about finding the hazards in your workplace, take the extra step to find out what is the most hazardous in your industry and what we are seeing in terms of violations in your particular industry.” He also encourages employers who take on new jobs or do new tasks to conduct a hazard assessment. And finally, he says to ask for compliance assistance if you need it. And do it BEFORE an inspection.
Did you know that OSHA has designated May 6-10, 2019 as the National Safety Stand Down?
This is a voluntary event for employers and employees to raise Fall Hazard awareness. Another fact: Preventable falls from elevation accounted for 366 of 971 construction fatalities. The goal of the Safety Stand Down is to reinforce the importance of fall prevention. Anyone can participate: simply take a break and focus on “Fall Hazards” and reinforce the importance of “Fall Prevention”. There are numerous ways you can structure your “Stand Down”: inspect safety equipment, talk about hazards, create rescue plans. If you want to participate, do whatever works best for your workplace. So, you have 2 months to plan for a memorable event. Of course, creating a culture of safety, which has been mentioned often in my blogs is the way to consistently impress on your employees the need to adopt safe behaviors...always. It can’t be said enough !Invite your employees to participate in creating a safe environment through communication, training and hazard assessments. Can’t sleep on this one.
*If you don’t know yet, the Catwalk Scaffold Stairs is the most innovative way to access scaffolding safely and easily. Take a look at the 1 and 2 minute YouTube Video’s at CatwalkScaffoldStairs.com You’ll see what I mean. And, by the way, not only are the Catwalk Stairs OSHA approved, but they make the inspectors job a lot easier too. .