Compliance chickens and regulatory eggs
But which came first?
In the world of safety data, there is certainly a tendency to want to know what’s going on in that world, and oftentimes that knowledge comes tied to a Top (insert number here) List. And the good folks at the Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) are certainly no exception. I guess it’s one of those things that, once established, is easily perpetuated as long as there are fallible beings in the mix—which means as long as we have humans in the active workforce, there will always be a list of most frequently cited conditions, practices, etc.
And, if we’ve learned nothing else, while there may be some movement with those top-tier regulatory findings, there is a tendency for certain “classics” to be a constant on those lists. The question I have is this: is it because these are the most likely manifestations of human inconsistencies or is it because these are the areas in which surveyors most frequently focus during their visits to our workplace? The truth probably lies somewhere in between (as truth often does), but it never hurts to review what’s “hot” in the safety space—mine and yours! Here is OSHA’s list of the Top 10 OSHA most frequently cited safety standards for 2023:
No. 1: Fall Protection—General Requirements
No. 2: Hazard Communication
No. 3: Ladders
No. 4: Scaffolding
No. 5: Powered Industrial Trucks
No. 6: Lockout/Tagout
No. 7: Respiratory Protection
No. 8: Fall Protection—Training Requirements
No. 9: Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment—Eye and Face Protection
No. 10: Machine Guarding
The source article for this piece indicated a fairly significant rise in the total number of violations (7,600 more than in 2022), which I suspect may have something to do with increasing activities in the wake of the pandemic (which, admittedly, is still proving to be rather tenacious in some locales) and perhaps the onboarding of new folks as construction and related activities get back to previous levels. The biggest increase in findings relative to the Top 10 List was related to powered industrial trucks, which, as I think about all the ginormous warehouse spaces I’ve seen “growing” along interstate and other transportation hubs, is probably no surprise; more trucks traveling greater distances likely increases the chance for mishap.
As far as what I’m seeing in the field, with the possible exception of scaffolding, healthcare is certainly an environment in which these safety practices could be at issue. Not all of it is directly under “our/your” control, but vigilance is always a part of basic safety practices and (as I’ve noted before ad nauseum) the more “eyes” you have engaged in the practice of vigilance, the greater the likelihood of early detection and intervention. It’s in every job description—written or unwritten!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions (formerly known as The Greeley Company) in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.