By David Estrada and Emelia Nguyen
Safety First
In my family, we often use the phrase “safety third,” but that’s because they are a crew of adrenaline junkies who treat the ER like it gives out loyalty points to frequent visitors. It makes for some wild family stories, but it is a poor motto for any business because no one wants to see an employee hurt on the job. Additionally, no business has extra time or extra cash floating around for OSHA violations and citations. Few things can interrupt a workflow quite like a surprise inspection, or
worse, citations that require additional visits and training. To avoid potential injury and OSHA’s “naughty list,” it might be time to do what I wish all my family members would do: think of “safety first.”
Speaking of OSHA’s “naughty list”, here’s a look at the top 10 cited OSHA issues this year:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (7,271 violations)
- Hazard Communication (3,213 violations)
- Ladders (2,978 violations)
- Scaffolding (2,859 violations)
- Powered Industrial Trucks (2,561 violations)
- Lockout/Tagout (2,554 violations)
- Respiratory Protection (2,481 violations)
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (2,112 violations)
- Personal Protective and Life-Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (2,074 violations)
- Machine Guarding (1,644 violations)
Fall Protection: Front and Center
Because we saw a Louisiana contractor get the maximum fine of $160,000 for an employee’s fatal fall, this might be the first area to look into onsite. For those who missed it in the news, a Louisiana contractor is in hot water after a worker suffered a fatal fall at a Georgia Hyundai plant. OSHA investigators found that the accident could have been prevented if the contractor had ensured that the fall-arrest systems were being used by employees working on high platforms or walkways.
The worker fell 60 feet to his death after losing his balance when a steel beam cut his safety line. Proper fall-arrest systems are cut-resistant and could have prevented this tragedy. OSHA subsequently placed the contractor in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which requires that the contractor undergo extra follow-up inspections and corporate education aimed at improving company safety.
It is easy to imagine that beyond the fine and other enforcement actions, the company saw a rise in premiums and workers comp costs above and beyond the cost of the OSHA fine. Not to mention the harm done to the company’s reputation and standing within the community.
Safety at the Dealership
When reading OSHA’s “Top 10 Citations”, did you notice that nearly every single item involves equipment a dealer might use on a daily or routine basis? When was the last time you walked around your organization and assessed it for any particular safety issues? If you have completed a safety walkthrough recently, nicely done. If you haven’t, I highly recommend you add it to your end-of-the-year to-do list. If you need resources to help you plan out your walkthrough, we have specific checklists for various items in this list such as:
- Forklifts
- Eyewash Stations
- Storage Tanks
- Lifts
- Fire Extinguishers
- And more!
It is also interesting to see Hazard Communication listed so high on the list, which means that now is the time for dealers to tidy up their SDS library, assess labeling procedures, and log the types of chemicals and quantities stored at the dealership if they haven’t done so already.
Be aware this is a preliminary list, so these numbers could shift before the end of the year. Regardless, put safety at the forefront of your operations this year to keep your workers safe and your workflow uninhibited.
ComplyAuto Safety customers have access to checklists to perform their safety walkthroughs or schedule a safety walkthrough with a Pro. If you need help with updating your SDS library, we can help with that too.
Stay safe out there friends.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn