Next time you’re at work, do a quick check of your surroundings and see if you spot any of these safety violations.
If you talk to an experienced St. Louis workers compensation attorney, they will tell you that they have seen just about every injury under the sun. However, some injuries are significantly more prevalent than others. The reason for this is that many unsafe workplaces tend to have the same issues as each other. To safeguard against this, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducts random checks on employers to see if they are following safety guidelines. When they are not, the employer is given a violation. Below, we have listed the top 10 violations from 2017.
Fall Protection – General Requirements
Slip and fall injuries are one of the most common workplace injuries, so it is no surprise that not meeting all protection requirements is a top violation.
Hazard Communication
This violation describes the improper labeling of hazardous materials. If companies do not label thoroughly and correctly, they leave their employees at risk.
Scaffolding
Preventing injuries that take place on scaffolding is especially important because of their height. Slipping and falling while on the ground can be very damaging on its own, and when scaffolding is involved, its severity rises significantly.
Respiratory Protection
A common way workers develop long and short term diseases is through inhalation of harmful substances. Because of this, employers are expected to provide protective gear.
Lockout/Tagout
Lockout/tagout refers to the proper handling of what OSHA calls “hazardous energy.” What it describes is stored energy in machines or equipment. Hazardous energy can be quickly released and have dire consequences.
Ladders
Ladder usage is an area that flies under the radar because it is so common inside and outside the workplace. Because of this, companies often do not have safe ladder use practices.
Powered Industrial Trucks
This category encompasses the practices surrounding vehicles like tractors, hand trucks, and fork trucks. Violations and work injuries can come from maintenance, lack of fire protection, and usage habits.
Machine Guarding
A typical work injury is one where a worker gets their hand caught in a dangerous piece of machinery. One way to prevent this is through responsible machine guarding structures, which cover up dangerous moving parts and keep employees safe.
Fall Protection – Training Requirements
Another aspect of fall protection is employee training. If employees are not trained, it can lead to injury and violations.
Electrical – Wiring Methods
Electricity is an incredibly powerful force. If it is not used correctly, the result can be lethal. OSHA protects against this by assessing wiring methods.
The world of workplace injuries is a scary one, but when you educate yourself on the subject, you become much safer. Next time you’re at work, do a quick check of your surroundings and see if it violates any of these 10. If it does, you can talk to your employer about adjusting your workplace conditions. That will make everyone happy, as employees are safer and employers are less likely to pay benefits to an injured worker. If you do get hurt, you can always talk to a St. Louis work injury attorney about your legal options moving forward.