Adidas America faces nearly $400,000 in penalties for uncorrected, recurring fall hazards found in 2021 at its Orange County, NY, warehouse as the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found in its latest inspection that employees remain exposed to potentially dangerous falls hazards at the plant.
OSHA issued a report stating that after receiving citations requiring it to correct existing fall hazards at its Chester warehouse and paying $17,403 in penalties, Adidas America, Inc. now faces an additional $396,377 in fines for continuing to ignore The U.S. Department of Labor’s workplace safety standards.
The latest OSHA action comes after a January 2024 follow-up inspection at the plant prompted by Adidas’ failure to submit required proof to the department that the company had installed required guardrails or equivalent protection for employees accessing and working atop a mezzanine and made sure a ladder used to access the mezzanine extended at least three feet above the landing.
OSHA cited the company in March 2022 after its original 2021 inspection, which found the absence of guardrails and an unsafe ladder, which exposed Adidas employees to falls of up to 10 feet to the floor below. Inspectors returned in 2024 to find that the company still needed to correct the violations.
“When employers agree to correct a hazard, they must follow through and prove to OSHA that the hazards were addressed,” explained OSHA Area Director Rita Young in Albany, NY. “Adidas America, Inc. failed to do so, continued to expose their employees to potentially deadly and disabling injuries, and are now liable for additional and sizable OSHA penalties.”
Adidas America, Inc. has 15 business days from the receipt of the 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. The citation from OSHA was dated August 9, 2024.
To read the citation, go here. To view the Failure to Abate Notice, go here.
Image courtesy Adidas
Image courtesy Adidas AG
