OSHA announces top 10 violations for 2014 at National Safety Council Congress & Expo

The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced the preliminary list of top 10 most common workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2014.

At the National Safety Council Congress & Expo in San Diego, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs Patrick Kapust presented the list.

The top 10 for 2014 are:

1. Fall protection – 6,143
2. Hazard communication – 5,161
3. Scaffolding – 4,029
4. Respiratory protection – 3,223
5. Lockout/tagout – 2,704
6. Powered industrial trucks – 2,662
7. Electrical – wiring methods – 2,490
8. Ladders – 2,448
9. Machine guarding – 2,200
10. Electrical – general requirements – 2,056

National Safety Council president and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman says OSHA sharing the updated data at the largest gathering of health and safety professionals in the U.S. was “greatly appreciated.”

“This data is a poignant reminder that there is still much room for improvement in making our workplaces safer, and that it is going to take all of us to make a difference,” she says.