The most frequent violations do not just include acts while working with hard machinery, but how the job site is maintained and the use of simple equipment. Thousands of workers are injured or killed each year at work. Jobs that revolve around physical labor or working with heavy machinery have safety standards to help prevent injuries or reduce the severity of injuries if they do occur. This is why OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has standards in place for each industry to meet. If an employer does not meet these requirements, they are in violation.
5 Most Frequent OSHA Violations
Although there are many types of OSHA violations that an employee should be aware of, especially if he or she works in a dangerous environment, some occur more often than others. The five most frequent OSHA violations are:
- Failure to meet fall protection requirements
- Improper hazard communication or improper labeling of hazards
- Failure to provide or use proper PPE
- Unsafe ladder use
- Unsafe scaffolding
- A failure to properly lock out/tag out equipment for maintenance
Although these are the most frequently occurring OSHA’s violations, they are not the only ones. If there is any question that an injury could fall under an OSHA violation, consulting a Chicago construction accident lawyer can help victims make this determination.
Do OSHA Violations Impact a Workers’ Comp Claim?
When an employee gets hurt at work, he or she may file a workers’ comp claim for various types of work injuries, which can include cases where an OSHA violation might have occurred. Typically, violations of OSHA do not affect a workers’ comp claim, although that can vary from state to state.
Sometimes, an OSHA complaint can determine that the violation was the worker’s fault and not the employer’s, but the workers’ compensation system in Illinois generally takes a no-fault stance in workplace accidents and this would not be a bar to your Workers’ Compensation claim unless you were under the influence at the time of the accident. Please call us so we can review the facts and provide you with our legal opinion and representation.
However, if a worker does not get the proper training that an employer should provide, then the violation would not be the fault of the worker. Each employee should have the proper safety training for the field he or she works within, especially if this includes hazardous materials. Relying on PELs (permissible exposure limits) can get workers killed if they do not know how to proceed when the excess limits are reached. It is important to be up-to-date on all training and follow safety guidelines to prevent a workplace injury.
