OSHA has released results from inspections conducted during the 2014 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014). The following list shows the most frequently cited OSHA standards during that time period:
- 501 – Fall Protection (construction standard)
- 1200 – Hazard Communication
- 451 – Scaffolding (construction standard)
- 134 – Respiratory Protection
- 178 – Powered Industrial Trucks
- 147 – Lockout/Tagout
- 1053 – Ladders (construction standard)
- 305 – Electrical, Wiring Methods
- 212 – Machine Guarding
- 303 – Electrical, General Requirements
What are the practical applications of OSHA inspection data for employers?
In theory, every OSHA inspection is an independent event, with the results of one inspection having no bearing on an inspection at another location. In practice, however, this is not how inspections typically work. Similar to how you might have specific benchmarks or metrics that you focus your attention on at your workplace, OSHA inspectors often receive guidance on which standards they should give extra scrutiny to during inspections. Given a large enough sample size, these points of emphasis can be discerned based upon the frequency with which the standard is cited by inspectors.
Although the overall composite data for all employers is a useful starting point, to get an accurate picture of what inspectors are focusing on in your industry, we recommend that you conduct a search of frequently cited OSHA standards for your industry segment. The following link will allow you to view inspection results by NAICS code and number of employees: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/citedstandard.html.
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© 2015 Zywave, Inc. This publication is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as compliance or legal advice.