Spring Safety Zone: Most-Cited Standards | Workplace Safety Index | NARCAN

Spring 2024 Most Frequently Cited Safety Standards of 2023     Each year both OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) and MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Act) Federal enforcement safety organizations list their top most-cited safety violations from their respective workplace inspections. Below is a list of these from 2023 to direct focus to these important safety procedures. Top 10 Under OSHA: No. 1 – Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501). 2023 is the 13th consecutive year that this standard has topped the list. This standard outlines the fall protection required when employees are working with an unprotected edge or side with a fall to the next level above 6 feet. The potential fall hazard must be protected by means of a guardrail system, safety net, personal fall arrest system, or alternative fall protection measure described in other provisions of this standard. 7,271 violations were cited in 2023. No. 2 – Hazard Communication – "HAZCOM" Standard (1910.1200). This standard addresses chemical hazards in the workplace. Both chemicals produced in the workplace and those used in workplace processes. This standard requires the availability of Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and proper Globally Standardized System (GHS) labeling to inform employees of the identity, hazards, and proper handling for all chemicals in the workplace. 3,213 violations were cited in 2023. No. 3 – Ladders – General Requirements (1926.1053). This standard provides for the safety requirements with the use of portable ladders. Selection, use, type, and inspection requirements are described in the standard when employees use portable ladders to gain access to work or upper landing surfaces where work is performed. 2,978 violations were cited in 2023. No. 4 – Scaffolding – General Safety Requirements (1926.451). Safety requirements for scaffolding design, construction, and loading to protect employees from falls while working on or near scaffolding of 10 feet or higher. 2,859 violations were cited in 2023. No. 5 – Powered Industrial Trucks (PIT) – Forklifts and Motorized Hand Trucks (1910.178). This standard provides for the design, maintenance, and operation of PIT's as well as the operator training requirements. 2,561 violations were cited in 2023. No. 6 – Lockout/Tagout – "LOTO" Standard (1910.147). This standard provides for the safe isolation and control of hazardous and/or stored energy during servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment. It includes the use of LOTO systems and procedures as well as employee training. The stored energy can be in the form of electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, motion due to gravity or rotation, and unauthorized start-up. 2,554 violations were cited in 2023. No. 7 – Respiratory Protection (1910.134). This standard directs employers on establishing and maintaining a respiratory protection plan. It lists the requirements for program administration, worksite specific procedures, respirator selection, employee training, fit testing, medical evaluation, respirator use, cleaning, maintenance, and repair. 2,481 violations were cited in 2023. No. 8 – Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1910.503). This standard addresses training requirements for employers regarding fall protection. Employers must provide for training/retraining and document completion for each employee. Further, the employer must ensure individual compliance of each employee with the training and use of fall protection as identified and trained. 2,112 violations were cited in 2023. No. 9 – Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1926.102). This standard addresses appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for workers exposed to eye or face hazards such as flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acid or caustic liquids, chemical gasses or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation. 2,074 violations were cited in 2023. No. 10 – Machine Guarding (1910.212). This standard covers the guarding of machinery to protect operators and others from hazards at the point of operation, nip points, rotating parts, flying chips, and sparks. 1,644 violations were cited in 2023. 2023 Most Cited Under MSHA: No. 1-4 – Coal and Underground mining. There were 3,285 violations of accumulation of combustible materials; 1,897 violations of mine ventilation plan – submission and approval; 1,429 violations for protection from loose material falls from roof, face, and ribs; and 1,329 violations for permissible electric face equipment maintenance. No. 5 – Sand and Gravel Surface mining. There were 1,310 violations involving moving machine parts. No. 6 – Underground Coal mining with 1,266 violations for failure of a roof control plan. No. 7 – Surface Sand and Gravel mining. 1,251 violations of failure to prepare and submit MSHA Form 7000-2 Quarterly Employment and Production Report. No. 8 – Underground Coal mining with 1,201 violations for electric equipment examination, testing, and maintenance. No. 9-13 – Surface Stone. 1,069 safety defects, examination, correction, and records; 995 violations involving moving machine parts; 917 violations of failure to prepare and submit MSHA Form 7000-2 Quarterly Employment and Production Report; 916 violations with electrical conductors; and 914 violations for housekeeping. The majority of these and many more can fit into the general Top Five safety categories listed by MSHA. They are 1) Moving Equipment; 2) Electrical; 3) Roof and Ground Control; 4) Fire; and 5) Mechanical. A review of just these top hazards identified in 2023 by OSHA and MSHA reveals the importance of continued focus on safety in the workplace. Improvement requires constant attention by employees and employers at all levels to assess risks and correct hazards to make the conduct of our work as safe as it should be. Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index According to the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, Workplace injuries cost employers in the U.S. more than $58 billion in medical costs and lost wages annually. As with the safety violations noted in the article above, there are a set of top five causes of workplace injuries that account for 62.7% of the cost burden of disabling workplace injuries. These are listed below: Overexertion (lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying, or throwing) – 21.9% Falls on the same level – 15.3% Falls to a lower level – 10.4% Struck by an object or equipment (being hit by objects) – 8.8% Other exertions or bodily reactions (bending, reaching, twisting, climbing, crawling, kneeling, standing, sitting, walking, and running) – 6.3% The remaining causes, 6-10, represent a combined 19.5% of the total cost. These are harmful substances (including workplace exposure to infectious diseases), roadway incidents, caught in equipment or objects, slips or trips without falling, and pedestrian/vehicular incidents. These top 10 together are 82.2% of the total cost burden of workplace disabling injuries to U.S. employers. A look at the safety violations above and the breakdown of workplace disabling injuries, it becomes clear that a re-focus on best practices and compliance with these standards could not only prevent injuries, but also would represent a considerable cost benefit to businesses of all sectors. Summary View of Missouri Workplace Fatalities The above is a list focused on workplace injuries across the U.S. The list is somewhat different when looking at the list of top causes of workplace fatalities. In Missouri, the top causes are listed below: Motor vehicle fatalities Absorption, ingestion, or inhalation of toxic substance Other than physical, i.e. – disease/medical Strain or injury Gunshot Machinery NARCAN (Naloxone) in the Workplace The availability of NARCAN (Naloxone) in public areas and workplaces is becoming more common. This medication, when administered, rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Having this in the workplace along with training on how to use it is a simple and effective tool to address the continuing problem of unintended, uninformed, incidental, or secondary opioid overdose. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of two naloxone nasal sprays for over-the-counter use, Narcan and RiVive. Either of these sprays are easy to administer with training, can be a life saver in an overdose situation and, should be part of a response plan to this ongoing concern. The relative ready availability of opioid pain killers along with the continuing dangers of Fentanyl exposure will continue to create instances of critical overdose. Overdose awareness training to inform individuals of the dangers and potential of an overdose situation need to be at the core of a prevention program. These dangers are present in the uninformed sharing of painkillers between individuals that do not have a prescription by a health care professional. Also, the use of non-prescription opioid pain killers from unknown sources can lead to overdose due to unregulated formulation or inclusion of fentanyl contaminates. Fentanyl can lead to an overdose from very small doses and can be taken into the body by unintentional contact exposure. Ready administration of naloxone is critical to reverse what is too often a life ending scenario. UPCOMING EVENTS/LABOR NEWS One day Mine Rescue and skills Competition – June 18 – Mineral Area College, Park Hills, MO The next Safety and Health Management Seminar will be May 23 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in person at 421 East Dunklin Street, Jefferson City, Missouri, at the Central Conference Room. If anyone is interested, please call 573-522-SAFE to register. April 28 is Workers' Memorial Day — Each year on April 28, Workers' Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember, salute, thank and honor those who have been injured or lost their lives while on the job and to rededicate our efforts to improve safety and health in every workplace. Missouri will commemorate this with an event on Friday, April 26. For details on this year's as well as past events, visit https://labor.mo.gov/remember-workers.  10th Annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction (May 1-5) —The National Stand-Down is a prevention campaign to promote awareness and training on one of the leading causes of fatalities in construction. For materials, resources and events visit https://www.osha.gov/stop-falls-stand-down. Make sure to share on social media! #StandDown4Safety The National Safety Council has a safety calendar of events – check it out. Contributing author: David K. Attebery, M.S., CSP, Mine and Cave Safety Program Manager     Questions? Contact Us STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Subscriptions  |  Help This email was sent to ignoble.experiment@arconati.us using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Missouri Department of Labor · P.O. Box 59 · Jefferson City, MO 65104-0059 · 1-800-320-2519