OSHA Citations
OSHA citations may be issued following an inspection or investigation of a workplace, or as the result of a complaint or referral.
When OSHA investigates accidents, they generally write citations addressing four general violation categories:
- Inadequate supervision- The employer fails to adequately supervise employees.
- Inadequate education/training- The employer fails to adequately train employees.
- Inadequate accountability- The employer fails to enforce compliance with safety rules and policies.
- Inadequate resources- The employer fails to provide adequate resources such as tools, equipment, facilities.
According to OSHA fatality accident investigation reports, most injuries occur in these four citation categories. Consequently, safety committees need to look at them as the "Big 4" system weaknesses and focus on them in safety inspections and accident analyses. Heads-up: The category that is analyzed most closely by OSHA is, you guessed it, inadequate education/training.
Effective safety management is an organizational skill. It does not allow system weaknesses to exist in the workplace. The employer can develop safety management systems that address the vast majority of hazardous conditions and unsafe work practices. There is always a way to fix the system to reduce hazards and exposures to an acceptable level.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
5-2. Which inspection violation category will OSHA likely evaluate most closely?
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