This article highlights six key misconceptions about machine safeguarding. ANSI / ISO 12100:2012 Safety of machinery – General principles for design – Risk assessment and risk reduction is the primary reference.

Although we talk about a company’s bottom line as the reason to implement engineering controls to reduce or eliminate respiratory hazards in the workplace, that doesn’t mean most organizations put profit above worker safety.

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.

OSHA’s hazard communication standard was the second most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019. The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is now aligned with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).

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

Lockout/Tagout was the fourth most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019. The standard outlines measures for controlling hazardous energies — electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, and other energy sources. 

OSHA’s respiratory protection standard was the fifth most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019. OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard applies to general industry, construction, shipyards, marine terminals, and longshoring...

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...

Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) was the seventh most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019. Employers in the Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing industry were cited 235 times, based on 170 inspections, with proposed penalties of $506,594. In second place...