As 2016 comes to a close, it’s worth noting that OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has raised the cost of job-site safety violations for the first time since 1990. Fines across the board jumped 78%, with the average cost of a “serious” job-site violation approaching $12,470. OSHA regulations tend to hit the construction industry hard, accounting for over 40% of total citations issued in 2016.
With over 25,000 total citations written in the last year, it is increasingly important to be aware and knowledgeable of frequently-cited OSHA standards in order to keep your job-site safe and productive. You never know when OSHA officials are present – take a look at some of the following common citation types and ask yourself if your job site is compliant…
Fall Protection (5,718 citations, $20,679,898 in penalties) – https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10757
Falls are some of the most common causes of work-related injuries and deaths. The US Department of Labor lists fall fatalities as 8% of all total occupational deaths. Employers have an implicit duty to their employees to ensure the workplace is free of fall hazards, unprotected platforms, dangerous elevated work stations, or holes in floors or walls. OSHA Standard 1926.501 sets forth employer requirements regarding fall protection for those walking and working on surfaces with unprotected edges more than 6 feet off the ground, which include guardrails, toe boards, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems.
Scaffolds (3,141 citations, $6,486,753 in penalties) – https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10752
Scaffolds provide safe working platforms and elevated access for workers on the job-site. Due to their rigging, positioning and height, they can be very dangerous if not erected and fortified correctly. OSHA scaffold standards detail everything from capacity to fall protection requirements to minimize falls, failures, and scaffold-related accidents on the job. OSHA Standard 1926.451 lays the foundation for proper scaffold setup and rigging, ensuring that the scaffold supports its own weight and four times the maximum load applied or transmitted to it. Subsections of this standard detail important information about hardware, rigging, loading, and proper dimensions that are critical to setting up and maintaining a safe scaffolding system.
Ladders (2,126 citations, $1,411,787 in penalties) – https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=10839
More portable than scaffolding, ladders are an important job site tool thanks to their maneuverability and lightweight. Ladders are relatively easy to use, but can become very dangerous in a short amount of time. Many seasoned professionals cut corners using a simple piece of equipment like a ladder in an effort to make the job easier – but just when they’re least expecting it, they’ll find themselves in the middle of an accident. OSHA Standard 1926.1053 specifies that ladders must be able to support at least four times the maximum intended load, rungs must be corrugated or knurled in a way to prevent slipping, and even goes on to describe the proper setup and fastening of different types of ladders that aren’t self-supporting.
As construction professionals, we pride ourselves on getting home safely to our families after a day of strenuous labor. Often it is easy to bypass safety checks on the job, but the above information shows that unsafe labor practices will eventually hurt you financially if they don’t catch up to you physically.
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