OSHA’s Most Frequently Cited Workplace Violations – 2017

The initial results are in for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2017.

The rankings for OSHA's Top 10 most cited violations vary little (some change in order) from year to year; however, violation number nine Fall Protection, Training Requirements (1926.503) is new to the 2017 list. Many fatalities are due to falls, particularly in construction, but also in general industry, which includes aviation.

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements (Standard 1926.501): 6,072 violations
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 4,176
3. Scaffolding (1926.451): 3,288
4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 3,097
5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,877
6. Ladders (1926.1053): 2,241
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,162
8. Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,933
9. Fall Protection – Training Requirements: 1,523
10. Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305): 1,405

Training is protection. Ensure that a training program is established for employees exposed to fall hazards. Many of the violations were directly related to training requirements and could have been prevented. In Business Aviation, falls are typically related to falling off ladders or aircraft surfaces when maintaining, cleaning, or installing engine plugs.

OSHA's Top 10 can represent a new plan for keeping workers safe. Advanced Aircrew Academy has Occupational Safety and Health training modules for all members of the flight department—mechanics, flight crew, line service, and office personnel. Each module is uniquely designed for the workplace hazards each employee group is exposed to.