OSHA Penalizes Walmart; Serious Safety Violations Cause Accidental Amputations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited one of the most ubiquitous discount-department-store chains in the U.S. for repeat and serious violations of workplace safety standards: Walmart. The company now stares at a total of $365,500 in proposed fines.

Although OSHA training, such as OSHA 30 certification (for supervisors) and OSHA 10 hour training (for workers), and 40 Hour HAZWOPER training (in certain worksites), are now required by most employers as hiring requirements, many companies, including big-name ones like Walmart, still fail to observe the safety standards consistently.

"The sizable fines proposed here reflect not only the seriousness of these conditions but the fact that several of them are substantially similar to hazards identified at nine other Walmart locations in New York and eight other states," Arthur Dube, OSHA area director in Buffalo, N.Y. explained.

OSHA, following inspections and an investigation, identified 10 repeat violations and 14 serious violations. Among the repeat violations discovered were obstructed exit routes, fall hazards, an absence of lockout/tagout procedures for energy sources, no training for employees using personal protective equipment, and a lack of information and training on hazardous chemicals.

The serious violations—safety infractions that probably would result in death or serious physical harm because of a hazard or hazards that the employer knew or should have known about—included failure to develop a confined-space entry program, failure to share confined-space information with contractors, and an incomplete bloodborne pathogen program and training for employees whose work exposed them to blood or body fluids.

Knowing and implementing OSHA safety standards are required by law and OSHA training—such as OSHA 30 certification, OSHA 10 hour training, and 40 Hour HAZWOPER training—is mandatory in many states. Disregarding these safety protocols is a serious violation with very serious consequences.

Recently, OSHA came down hard on Oklahoma-based Zaloudek Grain Co. for causing the accidental amputation of the legs of two of its workers, both 17-year-olds. Both lost their legs when they were caught in a conveyor auger while cleaning out a grain flat storage structure.

"Employers who endanger the lives and limbs of their workers will be held accountable for putting them at risk," explained OSHA Dallas regional administrator John Hermanson,. "In this case, the lives of two teenagers will never be the same."

OSHA’s investigation revealed that the company neglected to put in place the machine guard over the moving conveyor auger, a failure that ultimately led to the amputations. The investigation also discovered the following failings: the storage structure's exit was not free and unobstructed; no exit signs from the storage structure; and no training for workers assigned to enter grain structures.
OSHA proposed penalties totaling $21,500.

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