Business and property owners are required by law to keep everyone that enters your building safe. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations are in existence to do just this. Following are most common safety violations that get reported and it is important to be aware of them first hand!
Fall Protection Violations
Fall protection violations are anything that does not protect a person from falling. If you are doing construction of a building or have open spaces of your property that are not on the ground level you are required to guard off the edges to prevent people from falling and getting injured. Construction companies should also provide prevention devices to protect against dropped tools, phones and other items.
Hazard Communications
One of the biggest violations is hazard communication. All workers must be aware of the hazards in their building and all hazards need to be properly labeled. In addition, signs must be clearly posted for anyone walking near a potential construction hazard.
Scaffolding Violations
If a worker is performing work on a higher elevation and requires scaffolding to reach the area, the scaffold must be properly constructed and include guardrails. These things help prevent falls and injuries from occurring.
Respiratory Protection
If a worker in your facility uses a respirator, you are required by OSHA to have them undergo a medical examination. There also needs to be a written respiratory program in place so that all workers understand their rights and responsibilities.
Lockout / Tag-out
This is one of the largest cited OSHA regulations. This procedure refers to the correct way to start up and turn off machinery in a facility. All employees need to be trained on these correct procedures so that they do not get injured during routine maintenance checks or normal operations.
Ladders
While ladders are common in every commercial real estate property, many people are not properly trained on how to use them. Every owner should give strict training about how to properly use ladders to ensure safety.
Powered Industrial Trucks
This OSHA regulation states that all forklift drivers be properly trained, certified and recertified after a three year period. If these drivers are not certified, they can cause a lot of harm to themselves, other workers, and the facility.
Machine Guarding
Machine guarding guards machines and helps prevent people from falling into machinery. Proper machine guarding can help save lives and keep people away from dangerous points on a machine. All machines have moving parts and if workers are not careful, then they can lose a finger or even a limb to these parts. Machine guarding is a top OSHA violation because of how important it is to worker safety. All machines need to be properly guarded and labeled with dangerous parts.
Fall Protection Training Requirements
Since many workers do work that is not on the ground level, every employee is required to get trained on fall protection, regardless of what their job title may be. This training teaches workers about their rights and responsibilities and also teaches them about personal safety. During training, people will learn the correct way to climb a ladder, harness themselves, and check their own ropes and harnesses.
Electric Wiring Methods
Another heavily cited OSHA violation is electrical wiring mishaps. Some facilities are cited because of faulty wires, while others may get cited for improper use of electrical cords.
These OSHA regulations are in effect to help keep all workers and others safe. They ensure that all people in the facility understand the potential dangerous areas within the property and are trained on how to stay safe.
