Lowe’s Home Centers has been cited for 13 alleged safety violations at its Castle Rock store following an inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
OSHA is proposing $82,700 in penalties following its inspection, which was conducted based on high injury and illness rates reported at the store, the agency said today.
“Lowe’s Home Centers failed to ensure that a viable safety and health program was in place at this facility,” said John Healy, OSHA’s area office director in Englewood. “This employer is well aware of OSHA requirements for its industry and has been cited several times for similar infractions.”
OSHA findings fell into three categories.
It found seven “repeat violations” for numerous inaccuracies in required injury and illness recordkeeping as well as with electrical safety issues involving access to equipment and damage to wire insulation.
OSHA said a “repeat violation” exists when an employer has been previously cited for the same or a similar violation of a regulation or rule at any other facility in the last five years.
The agency alleged it also found three “serious violations” related to issues with emergency exits, machine guarding and installation of proper electrical receptacles.
Finally, inspectors allegedly found three “other-than- serious violations” which included failure to perform a personal protective equipment assessment, failure to properly label hazardous chemicals and lack of detail on required record keeping.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of all the OSHA citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
