At the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo, which wrapped up yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the Top 10 most cited safety violations at workplaces so far this year.

The deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Patrick Kapust, presented the agency’s findings during a lecture at the Expo.  The Top 10 violations present key areas where OSHA can more actively enforce regulations as well as provide more training, outreach and assistance.

“”While great progress has been made in safety over the past 100 years, today’s presentation reminds us there is more to be done to make our workplaces safer.  We appreciate our colleagues at OSHA sharing their most recent data at our Celebration of the Century,” Janet Froetscher, the President and CEO of the NSC, said in a press release.

Business owners and managers can use this year’s Top 10 to better protect their employees. Many of the areas listed as the most frequently violated are simply overlooked in the workplace, either from overexposure or or lack of knowledge.

The Top 10 for 2012 so far are:

1. General lack of fall protection
2. Failure to communicate hazards
3. Improper scaffolding construction and safeguards
4. Insufficient respirators and masks
5. Unsafe ladder usage
6. Inadequate machine guards
7. Improperly maintained or used industrial trucks
8. Unsafe wiring methods
9. Lack of lockout/tagout tools
10. General lack of electrical protection

Number one was cited in 7,250 inspections of businesses so far this year, a staggering number given the priority OSHA has placed on the use of fall protection harnesses in the workplace. Be sure that your business is in compliance with this incredibly important safety regulation.  Those employees who are required to work at heights should have full protection from the risk of falls.

Companies that fail to comply with OSHA regulations are taking a chance with the lives of their employees first of all, plus having to pay large sums of money in fines, and lost time and productivity.  It seems it would be much easier to follow the rules than be reported as irresponsible.