OSHA Violations

In 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed to limit the number of jobsite injuries and fatalities. The creation of the Act then allowed for the development of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a sector of the Department of Labor that provides for a safe and healthy workplace for all employees, including construction workers. Prior to OSHA, the government allowed compensation for injured construction workers, but did little to improve construction site safety. Today, OSHA employs more than 1,000 officers who randomly inspect 10,000 jobsites every year and deliver citations to employers in violation of the Safety and Health Standards for Construction.

From lead exposure to falls, construction workers face a variety of hazards on the jobsite. However, there are several OSHA violations that appear on the Administration's list of the Top 25 Most Cited Construction Standards. The three most common OSHA violations on construction sites are:

Scaffolding Violations

Falls account for more than one-third of all fatalities on construction sites. Construction workers can easily lose their footing on an uneven roof or fall off of the open side of a building. The most common cause of falls, however, involves scaffolding. More than 2 million construction employees regularly work on scaffolds. According to OSHA, protecting these workers from scaffolding accidents would prevent 4500 injures and 50 deaths annually.

The most common scaffolding violation occurs when the company fails to fully plank the platform area. OSHA mandates that each platform unit must be fixed so that the space between adjacent units does not exceed one inch in width. Unfortunately, many OSHA inspections reveal that certain areas on construction sites are not fully planked.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than 70% of scaffolding injuries are attributed to the planking giving way, the worker slipping, or the worker being hit by a falling object. Because of this, OSHA mandates that the construction site must be either equipped with toe boards, guardrails or screens to prevent falls or catch platforms, nets or canopies to shield workers from falling objects. OSHA also requires that workers utilize 100% fall protection when performing job duties on a scaffold higher than 6 feet from the ground. Above a certain height, the scaffolding must be attached to a building to stop it from tipping over. In addition, the scaffold must be constructed on a sturdy surface.

Grounding

Construction workers who perform job duties near underground or overhead power lines run the risk of electrocution. Unfortunately, improper grounding is one of the most common violations found on construction sites. Recently, one employer's OSHA violation led to the electrocution death of a worker who encountered an energized power line at a substation.

Many construction sites now utilize portable tools; however, the improper use of cords, connectors and receptacles can lead to insulation breaks, exposed wires and short-circuits. If no ground-fault protection exists, the faulty equipment can lead to the electrocution of a construction worker. Therefore, OSHA mandates that employers must use double-insulated tools to prevent electrocution and provide ground-fault protection for temporary wiring used in construction.

Excavations

The fatality rate is 112% higher for those involved in excavations than general construction workers. Construction employees, including maintenance workers and roadway employees, face a series of dangers during excavations, including cave-ins, toxic chemicals, lack of oxygen in a small place, explosions and electrocution. Because of these potentially life-threatening hazards, excavations are now included in OSHA's national emphasis program.

OSHA requires employers to follow a set of trenching and excavation requirements concerning the sloping and shoring of a trench. OSHA requires the trench to be securely shored and to allow the employee a way to evacuate in the event of a cave-in. Unfortunately, many companies violate these OSHA standards, leaving behind an unsafe trench that has the ability to completely cover the construction worker.

OSHA has conducted more than a million inspections across the country. To make sure companies are abiding by their regulations, they complete a number of surprise inspections. However, employees who believe hazards exist on their worksite can also request an OSHA inspection. The company may be subject to a variety of fines, as well as legal consequences if an injured employee files a lawsuit to recover damages.