Under the Obama Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement officials are taking a much more aggressive stance toward industry and business, Marcel Debruge, Burr & Forman LLP, told attendees at the National Tank Truck Carriers Tank Cleaning & Environmental Council annual seminar that was held April 5 and 6 in Nashville TN.
Using existing regulations, OSHA enforcement officials are striking hard at a broad range of industries—including tank cleaning. Companies are receiving more citations for “willful” and “serious” violations, and there is little willingness to negotiate. Penalties are high, with $100,000 fines now the norm for many violations.
- Here are OSHA’s Top 10 cited violations—many of them applicable to tank wash racks and tank fleets—for fiscal year 2009:
- 1. Scaffolding
- 2. Fall protection
- 3. Hazard communication
- 4. Respiratory protection
- 5. Lockout/tagout
- 6. Electrical and wiring
- 7. Ladders
- 8. Powered industrial trucks
- 9. General electrical
- 10. Machine guarding
- Top 10 OSHA list of willful violations in 2009:
- 1. Requirements for protective systems
- 2. Fall protection
- 3. Scaffolding
- 4. Specific excavation requirements
- 5. Permit-required confined space
- 6. Lockout/tagout
- 7. Personal protective equipment
- 8. Process safety management
- 9. Machine guarding
- 10. Asbestos