Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to make some safety improvements and pay a $190,000 fine after violations were found concerning trash compactors and chemicals.
The improvements will be implemented in over 2,800 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores after the violations were observed in a Rochester N.Y. area location in 2011, Democrat and Chronicle reported.
Violations included an unlocked trash compactor and "unguarded grinder." Employees had not been trained sufficiently in proper use of the equipment and in handling potentially dangerous chemicals. Blocked exit routes were also observed in the Gates store.
Wal-Mart spokesman Randy Hargrove announced the issues had been corrected, and similar violations had not been reported in other Wal-Mart locations, Democrat and Republic reported.
Under the agreement (which reduced the company's fine from $365,000), trash compactors will always be locked when not in use and will only be operated "under the supervision of a trained manager." Employees will no longer handle "undiluted cleaning chemicals."
The agreement was made with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels said the agreement "will help to keep thousands of exposed Wal-Mart workers safe and healthy on the job. We hope this sends a strong message that the law requires employers to provide safe working conditions, and OSHA will use all the tools at our disposal to ensure that all employers follow the law," EHS Today reported.
Tom O'Connor, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, doesn't believe the settlement alone will stop the trend Wal-Mart has set for unsafe conditions in the work place.
"While this settlement with the Labor Department is progress, there are still several areas we're concerned about regarding health and safety among Wal-Mart workers and suppliers," he said. "From its overreliance on temporary labor to its failure to prevent workplace violence or sign an international labor accord to improve working conditions in Bangladesh, Wal-Mart continues to jeopardize workers' safety both here and abroad."
