Don’t Have an OHSA Inspection Without Double-Checking These 5 Things
Don’t Have an OHSA Inspection Without Double-Checking These 5 Things
Workplace inspections are incredibly important recurring event for all businesses—employee safety is always of the utmost importance, and the $500 million dollars in fines given out in 2013 demonstrate the serious nature of all OHSA inspections.
Unfortunately, certain violations are far too commonly cited, year after year. We’ve listed the 5 most frequent statistically. Ensure your business is at the cutting edge of safety by reviewing the following checklist.
*This article is not comprehensive, and is not an officially endorsed checklist by OHSA. It is, however, a postulation on the most common incurred fines.
1. Scaffolding
According to regulations—Scaffolds must always be capable of supporting four times the maximum intended load, and must not have any debris that can fall out from plank surfaces—a common infraction. Insure scaffolds are all properly tagged and listed, and use common sense while using this high consequence equipment structure.
2. HazCom
All safety sheets and manuals, for each and every piece of equipment, are required to be present and readable at every workstation. However, they are often misplaced or absent. Unfortunately, this is one of the most common, and preventable, OHSA infractions. There is no excuse for an infraction of this nature—double check immediately for all proper safety reading material.
3. Fall Protection
Above four feet, fall protection is required for any and all jobs and work sites. Gone are the old Empire State construction days—this is taken very seriously and is an all-too-common infraction. Investigate your fall protection and ensure it's up the most modern standards of safety.
A Lockout-Tagout Placard, or ‘LOTO’, must be visible to all employees, and accompanied by a distinct lock on the specified equipment. A visible tag must prominently state that the equipment cannot be used until maintenance is finished. This is a somewhat complex, but extremely important task for management in the modern era of construction and manufacturing. This is a highly cited violation--insure it's done properly yourself, if need be.
5. Ladders
Ladders are responsible for more workplace accidents than any other equipment or tool. As such, they are complexly regulated; make sure you are up to date on all the current requirements from the OHSA. Harnesses, Grab Bars, Rail Extensions, and Personal Protection are required at all times. Many people have a propensity to disregard ladder safety—don’t let that happen at your workplace.
For a full list OHSA requirements, please visit the official site here. For workplace safety equipment, always visit Lomont IMT.
