OSHA inspections decline, fall protection violations top the list, cloth masks aren’t considered PPE

OSHA inspections decline 35% in fiscal year 2020

OSHA conducted just 21,589 inspections during fiscal year 2020, down 35% from 33,401 in fiscal 2019, according to a report by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Employers’ attempts to overturn citations issued by federal OSHA declined in fiscal 2020, according to a report from the panel that hears those cases, according to Bloomberg Law. There were 1,845 appeals filed with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission in FY2020, down 8.5% from the 2,017 appeals filed the year before, according to the study made public on Wednesday. 

Both declines are attributed to business closures and restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

FY 2020: Fall protection violations again top OSHA’s most frequently-cited standards list

OSHA recently released preliminary data for the top 10 most commonly cited violations for the 2020 fiscal year. 

For the tenth consecutive year, ‘General Requirements for Fall Protection’ lands at number one, with other minor jockeying of categories throughout the list.

Here are the ten most frequently violated OSHA standards for 2020:

1. 1926.501 – Fall Protection (Construction standard) – 8,241 violations 
2. 1910.1200 – Hazard Communication – 6,156 violations 
3. 1926.451 – Scaffolding5,423 (Construction standard) – 5,423 violations
4. 1910.134 – Respiratory Protection – 3,879 violations
5. 1910.147 – Lockout/Tagout – 3,254 violations
6. 1910.178 – Powered Industrial Trucks – 3,340 violations
7. 1926.1053 – Ladders (Construction standard) – 3,311 violations
8. 1910.305 – Electrical, Wiring Methods – 3,452 violations
9. 1910.212 – Machine Guarding – 2,701 violations
10. 1910.303 – Electrical, General Requirements – 2,745 violations

 

Cloth masks are not personal protective equipment, OSHA says

The Labor Department clarified that cloth face masks aren’t considered personal protective equipment under the legal standard set by OSHA.

The clarification came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a scientific brief Nov. 10 that found some cloth face coverings have the potential to provide benefits consistent with personal protective equipment.

OSHA does not believe enough information is currently available to determine if a particular cloth face covering provides sufficient protection from the coronavirus hazard to be personal protective equipment under OSHA’s standard, according to an FAQ posted on its website. OSHA’s determination is consistent with statements made by the CDC, which has stated it needs more research on cloth facemasks’ protective effects, particularly on the combination of materials that maximize blocking and filtering effectiveness.

OSHA continues to encourage workers strongly to wear face coverings when in close contact with others to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus, if it is appropriate for the work environment.