Managing Employee Safety

Managing Employee Safety Research

Wal-Mart is the leader in the retail industry with stores in 27 countries and they employ over 2.2 million associates world-wide. The company is committed to excellence and is dedicated to the company’s 3 beliefs and values aspect of their corporate culture. The 3 beliefs and values culture is defined on the company’s website as “At the core of every one of our rules and customs is the basic value of respect – for the customer, associates, and suppliers. It’s our focus for building relationships. It helps us serve the communities in which we live, and build a business committed to excellence” (Wal-Mart, 2012).

Wal-Mart’s dedication and respect to their employees could be doubted after a February 2012 audit by OSHA. The retail giant was cited for 24 alleged serious violations of workplace safety in their Rochester N.Y. store. To make matters worse, the alleged violations have been found at other stores in 2008 and 2010. Arthur Dube, OSHA’s area direction in Buffalo NY had his own opinion about the store’s conditions; he stated “This situation is unacceptable. A corporate employer must take effective and proactive steps to assess, correct, and prevent the recurrence of hazards at all of its locations.” (Wal-mart hit with, 2012)

The February 2012 audit was conducted by OSHA after receiving an employee complaint about the hazards in the Rochester, NY location. Some of the violations found during the audit include: fall hazards, obstructed exit routes, an absence of lockout/tag out procedures for the compactor, a grinder that was unguarded, lack of tracking for personal protective equipment, lack of eye and face protection, and a lack of information or training on hazardous chemicals in the workplace. In addition to the 10 citations for repeat violations, Wal-Mart also faces a total of $365,500 in proposed fines (Wal-mart hit with, 2012).

Wal-Mart had 15 business days from the date of the audit to contest OSHA’s...