Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Vice President of the Construction Group Sam Clayton discuss the top 5 OSHA violation trends and solutions in 2023.

Show Notes: ⁠Subscribe to Rancho Mesa's Newsletter⁠, SafetyOne™ Mobile App and Website⁠, ⁠RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ Program⁠, ⁠www.RanchoMesa.com⁠

Director/Host: ⁠⁠Alyssa Burley

Guest: ⁠Sam Clayton⁠

Producer/Editor: ⁠Megan Lockhart⁠

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence

Transcript

Alyssa Burley: Hi, this is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa's Media Communications and Client Services Department. Thank you for listening to today's top Rancho Mesa News. Brought to you by our Safety and Risk Management Network StudioOne. Welcome back, everyone. My guest is Sam Clayton, vice president of the construction group with Rancho Mesa. He specializes in commercial insurance for concrete utility, street and road contractors. Today, we're going to talk about the top five OSHA violations from 2023 and some tools to help avoid being fined for those. Sam, welcome to the show.

Sam Clayton: Good morning, Alyssa.

AB: So every year, federal OSHA conducts thousands of inspections and issues, costly citations to companies across the country. So it's imperative for business owners and safety managers to be aware of the most common citations and how to avoid them through effective safety programs. And this is not the first time that we've spoken about the top OSHA violations on this podcast. Back in September 2021, Lauren and I actually highlighted the most common Cal/OSHA citations that were issued during the 2019 2020 reporting period, and that was actually episode 136. So now that the 2023 Federal OSHA data is available, we can analyze the citations that were most common across the United States to see what's changed and hopefully encourage our listeners to evaluate their safety programs to avoid being just another statistic. So, Sam, I think we'll start off with number five on the list and work our way to number one. So what's the fifth most common citation issued by OSHA in 2023?

SC: The fifth most common violation is powered industrial trucks, and this standard focuses on fire protection design, maintenance and use of fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks and other specialized trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines. Last year there was 2,561 violations for this standard.

AB: Okay. Fortunately for our clients, we have risk observations in Rancho Mesa's proprietary SafetyOne mobile app and website to document equipment inspections. So clients can ensure employees are trained by also utilizing our toolbox talks and online training courses that specifically address these types of trucks. So Sam, what's next on the list?

SC: Number four, scaffolding. Scaffolding should be designed by qualified personnel in construction and loaded accordance with that design. Companies are bound to protect construction workers from falls and falling objects while working on or near scaffolding at heights of ten feet or higher. Last year there was 2,859 scaffolding violations.

AB: Okay, I can see how scaffolding would make it onto this list. But to help avoid these citations, we're recommending clients use SafetyOne sample scaffold policy to provide a framework of best practices to help comply with the OSHA's standard and clients can reinforce their company policy through toolbox talks, online courses, and actually help prevent unsafe conditions with scaffold risk observations, all of which are available in SafetyOne. So what's number three on the list?

SC: Number three on the list was violations in regards to ladder safety. There was 800 more ladder safety violations in 2023 than there were in 2022 for a total of 2,978 violations.

AB: Wow. Hearing that makes me want to recommend the RM365 Advantage Safety Star Programs Ladder Safety Module since it provides an in-depth, practical overview of ladder safety from seasoned risk control experts. Plus, clients can utilize the SafetyOne platform's online training courses, toolbox talks risk observations, and sample policies to ensure employees are compliant with their company's policy. All right, we're getting close. What is the second most violated OSHA standard in 2023?

SC: That would be hazard communication, which is chemicals produced in the workplace and those brought into the workplace and how you communicate those hazards to your workers. Last year, there were 3,213 hazard communication violations.

AB: There are so many resources out there that this really shouldn't be an issue for employers. So consider utilizing the variety of hazard communication resources in our SafetyOne platform with online trainings, toolbox talks and sample policies and checklists and really communicating hazards to employees should be a foundational element of any safety program. So, Sam, we've come to the end of the list, and it's probably no surprise to many of our listeners, but what was the number one most cited OSHA violation in 2023?

SC: Number one on the list was fall protection. Where fall protection is required, which systems are appropriate for given situations, the proper construction installation of safety programs and the proper supervision of employees to prevent falls. This is designed to protect employees on walking or working surfaces, horizontal or vertical, with an unprotected side or edge above six feet. Last year there was 7,271 fall protection violations, up almost 2,000 from 2022.

AB: Sam, this continues to show up on the list year after year, and there are so many resources that business owners can access, whether through their broker or carrier, to help avoid fall protection citations. We're recommending clients take advantage of SafetyOne resources like the online awareness course, multiple toolbox talks, various risk observation checklist and sample fall protection program that is designed to reinforce the company's policies. So there is really no excuse for an employer not to insure an employee's safety when working at a height. Sam, what do you recommend business owners do to help avoid being cited for an OSHA standard violation?

SC: Well, we know these top five citations can be avoided by reviewing your company safety programs often and ensuring they're effective. Clients can also take advantage of our RM365 Advantage Safety Star program that specifically addresses some of the most common citations, such as fall protections, as well as integrating our SafetyOne platform into your safety program.

AB: Sam If listeners have questions about their risk management, what's the best way to get in touch with you?

SC: I can be reached at 619-937-0167 or at sclayton@ranchomesa.com

AB: All right. Well, Sam, thanks for joining me in StudioOne.

SC: Thanks, Alyssa.

AB: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning into our latest episode produced by StudioOne. For more information, visit us at ranchomesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.