The 2013 National Safety Congress and Expo wrapped up last week in Chicago, IL. According to EHS Today, Kyle Morrison, the senior editor for Safety and Health Magazine, had a brief presentation revealing the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards for the fiscal year 2013. For the last five years an OSHA official has been at the NSC Expo in order to explain these standards and how they relate to work place safety, however this year because of the government shut down, an OSHA official was not able to be there to speak. Unfortunately the shut down also forces OSHA to temporarily reduce its full time work force from 2300 employees to 236 employees. Fatalities, catastrophes and life threatening work place complaints are the areas that OSHA will be responding too during this time as the agency will cease most other enforcement activities.
The top OSHA cited standards are as follows:
- Fall protection (1926.501) – 8,241 violations
- Hazard communication (1910.1200) – 6,156
- Scaffolding (1926.451) – 5,423
- Respiratory protection (1910.134) – 3,879
- Electrical, wiring methods (1910.305) – 3,452
- Powered industrial trucks (1910.178) – 3,340
- Ladders (1926.1053) – 3,311
- Lockout/tagout (1910.147) – 3,254
- Electrical, general requirements (1910.303) – 2,745
- Machine guarding (1910.212) – 2,701
The article mentions that this list has remained pretty similar over the past few years. Morrison expects the next few years might be different as the newly revised hazard-communication standard will change a lot of things for companies and may climb to the top of the list by next year.
SLIPNOT products have a coefficient of friction that is greater than or equal to 0.85. This coefficient of friction exceeds all OSHA recommendations for slip resistant flooring in facilities. The non slip surface can be applied to metal products in low slippery areas as well as elevated platforms, drainage areas and ladders that need extra traction. Scaffolding, maintenance areas around machines and stair treads are also areas that can benefit from the durable non grit surface. By providing custom work as well as stock sizes, SLIPNOT products can help keep any area up to OSHA recommendations.
Cable, Josh. “NSC 2013: Fall Protection Retains Top Spot on List of OSHA’s Most Frequent Citations.” www.ehstoday.com October 1, 2013. October 3, 2013. < http://ehstoday.com/osha/nsc-2013-fall-protection-retains-top-spot-list-oshas-most-frequent-citations?page=1>
