June is National Safety Month, according to the National Safety Council. It is a good time for landscape companies to review their safety plans and reinforce the importance of work site safety. In conducting the safety review, it’s a good idea to take a look at OSHA’s top ten most frequently cited violations.

Top 10 most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2018 (Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2018), with links to OSHA information about the hazard:

1. Fall protection, construction
2. Hazard communication standard, general industry
3. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction
4. Respiratory protection, general industry
5. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry
6. Ladders, construction
7. Powered industrial trucks, general industry
8. Fall Protection–Training Requirements
9. Machinery and Machine Guarding, general requirements
10. Eye and Face Protection

As OSHA explains, “OSHA publishes this list to alert employers about these commonly cited standards so they can take steps to find and fix recognized hazards addressed in these and other standards before OSHA shows up. Far too many preventable injuries and illnesses occur in the workplace.”

A good safety plan can prevent injury, avoid citations and fines, and improves the work environment for staff.