3 Common OSHA Violations and Tips on How To Prevent Them

It’s no secret that OSHA’s penalty fees can be a pain in the ass. That’s why knowing OSHA’s standards is crucial. Especially the ones that are common.

Here are three common OSHA violations starting with:

1. Machine Guarding Standard

When operating machinery, machine guards are the first line of defense against potential accidents caused by machine malfunctions. 

Having no or faulty machine guards may result in significant fines for the company, as well as putting some of its employees in danger. That's why all your machinery must have proper guarding.

Here are a few tips to prevent this OSHA violation:

• Make sure that machine guards are not faulty
• Do not forget to put on guards after machine maintenance
• Do a check-up on machine guards from time to time
• If necessary, change guards after a period of time
• Rely on heavy-duty guard locks for the machines

Each year, approximately 700 people die and 5,000 workers are being injured due to a lack of machine guards.

That’s why proper knowledge and safe use of machines must be ensured to protect everyone from a potential accident.

Making sure that proper guarding is available is important for the safety and welfare not only of the workers but for the business itself.

2. Eye And Face Protection

The eyes and the face are two of the most vulnerable parts of our body with little to no protection. We do not have much protection when it comes to our face and our eyes, which puts these body parts at high risk for injuries. As sensitive parts of the body, protection is a must.

The level of potential harm that may happen if this is ignored might be deadly for workers.

These are a few tips to prevent this from happening:

• Make sure to have high-grade eye and face protection
• Put precautionary and reminder signages on the workplace
• Ensure that there is no shortage of eye and face protection for the workers
• Create awareness for this particular risk
• Engage in educating employees the importance of having eye and face protection

Every year, 800,000 eye injuries occur in the workplace because of no eye and face protection to guard workers against hazards.

90% of these eye injuries are preventable.

With the help of proper training and knowledge, we can guarantee that the workers are safer from this kind of injury.

3. Lockout Tagout

There will always be a risk for workers when dealing with malfunctioning machinery and equipment. Most lockout tagout violations happen when workers deal with malfunctioning machinery without locks and warning signages.

Malfunctioning machines could release energy at any time which could put the lives of workers in danger. 

That’s why there must be proper locks and clear information on malfunctioning machinery or equipment to make sure that workers are safe.

These tips could save your employees from the possible risks:

• Create a lockout tagout safety program
• Make sure that all moving parts of the machine have stopped before conducting any repairs
• Remove any electrical connection from the machine
• Lock and tag each machinery
• Use high-quality locks and readable tags for the machines and equipment

Every year, 3,000 people suffer injuries from accidents from being caught in machinery parts during maintenance.

A lot more business will rely on machinery as time pass by. With the increase in the use of machinery, safety must always be one of the top priorities. Investing in reliable lockout tagout devices is a crucial part of helping lessen the chances of these accidents from happening.

An investment for safety will always be one of the best things any business with machinery could buy.

Conclusion

As cliché as it might sound, prevention is indeed better than cure. Or in this case, “prevention is better than paying hefty fines.”

If you want to learn more about this topic, head out to OSHA’s “Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards” by clicking here.