Citations given by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for safety violations are a serious concern when it comes to construction management. With fines possibly reaching six-figure amounts, they can add serious costs to your project budget.
That’s why it is so important to have a risk and safety management company to make sure that your building projects are 100% up to code. By investing a small amount upfront, you can avoid fines and possible litigation in the future.
We wanted to take a moment to review the top 10 citations that were issued by OSHA in 2019 and talk briefly about why it’s so important to make adjustments to your construction project to make sure that you are in accordance with health and safety regulations.
If you are looking for a company to help you keep your site up to code, contact us today.
Click the links for more information on each violation.
# | Violation | Category | # of Violations Issued |
1. | Fall Protection | Construction | 6,100 |
2. | Hazard Communication | General Industry | 3,671 |
3. | Scaffolding | Construction | 2,813 |
4. | Control of Hazardous Energy | General Industry | 2,606 |
5. | Respiratory Protection | General Industry | 2,450 |
6. | Ladders | Construction | 2,345 |
7. | Powered Industrial Trucks | General Industry | 2,093 |
8. | Fall Protection | Training Requirements | 1,773 |
9. | Machinery and Machine Guarding | General Requirements | 1,743 |
10. | Electrical | General Industry | 1,411 |
WHAT IS THE COST OF IGNORING SAFETY PROTOCOL?
In 2019 these citations started at $13,260 per violation. These costs increase by $13,260 per day that the issue is not fixed past the deadline given by OSHA officials. If your construction site fails to address the citation completely, you can expect to see fines of more than $100,000.
These large six-figure fines are no joke. This year, OSHA issued a number of roofing contractors fines of more than $100,000 for failing to meet their standards for fall protection. If your site is caught failing certain standards, OSHA can make you pay some serious money for something that could have easily been avoided by covering some small safety costs upfront.
HOW TO AVOID THESE COSTS?
If you value your money and your employees, we recommend hiring a competent risk management company that can come in and assess your construction site to make sure that you can’t be issued a citation for easily avoidable safety issues. Contact Menotti Enterprise today to set up an appointment to see how we can save you money and keep your employees safe.