Common OSHA Violations
There are hundreds of rules and regulations set by OSHA so it is very easy to be in violation of one or several and not even realize that you are. OSHA Violations can result in fines or the area being closed until the proper guidelines are met. Will there are many regulations a few are the most commonly violated.
List Of OSHA Violations
- Scaffolding. The most common scaffolding violation area result of bad boards on the scaffold that become loose. They either cause tripping hazards or fall and cause injury to people below. This can be prevented be checking the boards often to make sure they aren't lose or rotting. If you find a problem have it fixed immediately. Do not used damaged equipment.
- Fall Protection. Any person that is working at a height of at least four feet must have some type of fall protection. A safety rope is most commonly used it helps to slow down your decent making you less likely to break a bone or fatally injury yourself.
- Hazardous Communication. Missing labels or wrong descriptions of a chemical can cause sever and permanent damage to the skin,eyes, and respiratory system. All Hazardous materials must be clearly marked and a log should be keep of there use.
- Respiratory Protection. Thousands of people forget to wear respiratory protection each year. Failing to wear a mask or some sort of protection can lead to lung and nose damage,brain damage and in the worst cases death. Whenever you are working around sawdust,cut metals or chemicals be sure you are wearing the proper safety gear.
- Lock-out. Most machines come with fail safe switches which can be used to turn it off if there is an accident. Make sure to have all equipment checked periodically to insure all fail safes are working correctly.
- Electrical wires. Exposed wiring or wiring that has been installed incorrectly could start a fire and burn down entire buildings. Always be sure to wear safety gloves when installing electrical wires even if they are not connected it is possible to still get injured. If you see a loose or hanging wire take the proper precautions to fix it.Never touch a live wire with your bare hands.
- Ladders.Faulty ladders cause thousands of injuries every year. Before you use a ladder check all of the steps to make sure they are sturdy and not damaged. If a step looks unsafe do not just skip it use another ladder. Have the broken ladder sent to be fixed or replaced.
- First Aid. A lot of employers forget to refill first aid kits with essential medicines or bandages. Keeping a fully stocked first aid kit will keep less people from sustaining larger injuries. If a person had a cut and had no bandage for it the cut could become infected and need to be operated on. This is going to make that person lose days at work ang be very costly to your insurance. So it is best just to be sure and have a full first aid kit.
- Machine Guards. Any equipment that cuts into another object is required to have a guard. This guard has a duel purpose one piece covers the blade while the other is in front to help block flying particles. An exposed blade is an accident waiting to happen any slip and you could lose a finger or your entire hand. Be sure to inspect all guards before using any machines. make sure they are on secure and are not damaged in any way.
There are many more OSHA violations occurring everyday these are just the most common that result in injury. Some of the injuries are minor while some can become deadly. I have yet to hear a good excuse for not following safety procedure. OSHA guidelines are in place to keep everyone safe so be sure and following the rules. An OSHA violation is not worth risking your job or life. Be Careful and use your head in every situation.