Toronto, Ontario — How’s your respirator fitting these days?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) recent list of the top 10 most frequently cited violations of 2020, the United States saw more than 2,500 respiratory protection violations last year.
“We’re finding these violations in autobody, paint and interior repair and maintenance shops,” Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs during a Feb. 26 webinar.
Violations pertaining to respiratory totalled 2,649 in 2020, said Kapust.
He also said the organization discovered respiratory protection violations in masonry contractors as well as in nursing care facilities.
Kapust said the main culprits for violations were: failure to have a written respiratory protection program including training, types of respirators, etc.; failure to conduct annual (and thereafter) respirator fit testing; and failure to comply with general requirements on the type of respirators according to the hazard.
While violations on the grounds of respiratory protection claimed OSHA’s number-three spot for most-frequently cited violations, fall protection and hazard communication claimed the first and second slots, respectively.
With 5,424 total violations in 2020, OSHA said fall protection has been the most-cited regulation for ten straight years.
