Lowe’s Home Centers Fined $110K for ‘Continual’ Recordkeeping Violations
OSHA has cited Lowe's Home Centers Inc. in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, with $110,000 in proposed penalties for continually failing to document and report employee injuries and illnesses.
As a result of an October 2009 inspection in Cincinnati, OSHA issued Lowe's four willful citations with a proposed penalty of $40,000. Based on a November 2009 inspection, OSHA issued the Dayton store seven willful citations with a proposed penalty of $70,000. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirement, or plain indifference to employee safety and health.
OSHA requires employers to record and maintain occupational injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 300 log.
"Accurate injury and illness records are vital to protect workers' health and safety," said OSHA Area Director Richard Gilgrist in Cincinnati. "Accurate records are an important tool that employers and workers can use to identify hazards in the workplace, and they also enable OSHA to better target its resources."
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.