Identifying OSHA Paragraphs of Particular Interest

Abstract

Employers of construction workers have become increasingly concerned about worker safety in the past decade. Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations provide safety guidelines, they do not indicate the relative importance of the different paragraphs. While a common-sense approach might help these employers to focus on the appropriate work conditions, additional help might be gained from an examination of data that identifies specific paragraphs of particular interest. These paragraphs are associated with the greater number of violations. Paragraphs of even greater interest might be those in which a high proportion of violations are of a serious nature. Research shows that the paragraphs involved in the most violations are not necessarily those involved with the same relative number of serious violations. Although no claim can be made that these paragraphs identify the areas where most workers are injured, they do identify areas that warrant particular attention by employers.