OSHA Finds Safety Hazards, Fines Trader Joe’s Nearly $217K

Trader Joe’s was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for various safety hazards at one of its stores in Colorado.

What’s more, this isn’t the first time the popular grocery store chain has been cited over similar issues, according to an OSHA press release.

Safety hazards were repeat violations

During a December 2023 inspection at Trader Joe’s in Greenwood Village, OSHA found safety hazards due to:

• Unsafe forklift operations, and
• A lack of training for forklift operators.

Specifically, OSHA cited Trader Joe’s for lack of adequate safety training for forklift operators and for failing to inspect forklifts. The company had been cited for violating these same standards in three prior OSHA inspections in Maine, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

OSHA also cited the company for “repeatedly blocking and rendering inaccessible electrical equipment with boxes,” a violation that Trader Joe’s had been previously cited for violating in Maine, New York and New Jersey, according to OSHA.

OSHA proposed penalties totaling $216,902 as a result of the Colorado inspection.

“Employers must comply with all federal safety standards, including forklift safety training and keeping areas around electrical equipment clear to help prevent serious injuries and fatal incidents,” explained OSHA Area Director Chad Vivian in Englewood, Colorado. “We will continue to cite companies that fail to implement the measures necessary to protect their employees from these hazards.”

OSHA resource promotes workplace safety

If your company uses forklifts, an OSHA Quick Card outlines the basics of safe forklift operations.

Among other things, it warns that forklift operators – and employees working around forklifts – are exposed to safety hazards, such as:

• Collisions
• Falls
• Tip-overs, and
• Struck-by conditions.

It lists 11 ways to prevent such safety hazards, including:

• Always wear a seatbelt when the forklift has one.
• Never exceed the rated load and ensure it is stable and balanced.
• Do not raise or lower the load while traveling.
• Keep a safe distance from the platform and ramp edges.
• Have clear visibility of the work area and ensure you have enough clearance when raising, loading, and operating a forklift.