Top Ten Safety Violations of 2014 [1]
Ethical operators in construction do all they can to ensure their craftsmen and women are extremely safe on their jobsites. Many companies go as far as maintaining an ongoing relationship with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, so that the industry and the government can be proactive, instead of reactive, when it comes to the safety of people on jobsites across America. While some companies are skeptical that kind of arrangement, other firms have found it is a positive way to stay ahead of potential problems that increase liability and make them less attractive employment options.
When I’ve toured what I would call “mainstream” construction sites, the lengths that companies go to ensure workplace safety is incredible. Managers on those jobs will tell you that a safe jobsite can still be a very productive one that is done on time and on budget. That said, any accident is one too many.
That’s why OSHA aggressively goes after violators. Each year, they put out a top ten list of the violations that occur on jobsites around the United States. Here is the list for 2014, as reported by Electrical Construction and Maintenance [10]:
No. 1 Violation: Fall Protection
No. 2 Violation: Hazard Communication
No. 3 Violation: Scaffolding
No. 4 Violation: Respiratory Protection
No. 5 Violation: Lockout/Tagout
No. 6 Violation: Powered Industrial Trucks
No. 7 Violation: Electrical Wiring Methods
No. 8 Violation: Ladders
No. 9 Violation: Machine Guarding
No. 10 Violation: General Electrical Requirements