OSHA has entered a region-wide corporate settlement agreement with Target Corp. regarding exit access and storage hazard violations at about 200 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
The retailer will pay $464,750 in penalties and enhance worker safety by addressing the egress and storage issues at all Target stores in the four states over the next two years.
OSHA cited eight Target stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York between May and December 2019 for violations involving blocked emergency exits and unsafe storage practices, according to a Department of Labor news release.
Target initially contested the citations, but decided to agree to the settlement terms Oct. 16.
The company has agreed to build on existing safety programs by:
- authorizing store management to delay incoming deliveries to ensure exit routes won’t become blocked
- authorizing store management to requisition additional storage space if needed
- conducting surveillance camera monitoring of exit route conditions at certain “high-risk” stores
- having outside managers visit each store twice per year to monitor and address exit route safety
- arranging unannounced third-party audits of exit route conditions at each store at least once per year, with a second audit in the next quarter if a store fails the initial audit
- retraining all affected employees on issues covered by the settlement, and
- permitting OSHA access to the stores to verify compliance and determine if the cited conditions were addressed.
