Accidents happen for millions of reasons, but the truth is, they are all preventable. Three major causes are common in almost all accidents; not using the right tool for the job; using a damaged tool that hasn’t been inspected; and not following the basic safety guideline for that tool.

OSHA’s fall protection standard was the No. 1 most-frequently cited agency standard in fiscal year 2019. Falls are among the most common causes of serious work related injuries and deaths. Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls.

Scaffolding was the third most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019.

Ladders 1926.1053 was the sixth most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019. Specialty Trade Contractors and Construction of Buildings earned the lion’s share of OSHA citations for violations of standard 1926.1053, with employers in the first category...

Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) was the eighth most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019. Construction industry employers filled the top three categories of most-cited industries for violations of this standard.

Fall protection has been the number one most frequently cited OSHA violation for several years now, which means, worksites simply are not understanding the need to keep employees upright. Employers continue to take significant unnecessary “risk” when it comes to workplace slips, trips and falls by not taking the appropriate measures in evaluating their worksites. 

In a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register, OSHA issued corrections to its Walking-Working Surfaces Personal Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems), and Special Industries (Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution) rule. They include: