Furniture Retailer Cited for Locked Exits

Aug. 22, 2001
OSHA cited Nationwide Warehouse & Storage Inc. alleging that the company kept exit doors locked and failed to\r\nclear aisles leading to exits at its East Syracuse, N.Y., facility.

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OSHA cited Nationwide Warehouse & Storage Inc., East Syracuse, N.Y., alleging that the company kept exit doors locked and failed to clear aisles leading to exits at its East Syracuse facility.

The two alleged willful violations carry a total proposed penalty of $126,000.

OSHA inspected the facility from Feb. 13 through April 12, following a referral from a local government agency.

"Locked doors and blocked aisles pose serious safety hazards to workers," said Diane Brayden, OSHA area director in Syracuse. "In the event of a fire or other emergency, lives could be lost because people could not escape. Common sense and human decency should dictate that people need a way to exit a building."

OSHA also cited the company for nine alleged serious violations, including:

  • failure to safely stack mattresses and furniture.
  • failure to provide a sufficient number of exits and directions to exits.
  • failure to provide handrails on stairways.
  • failure to properly inspect and provide an adequate number of onsite fire extinguishers and to train employees about how to use fire extinguishers.
  • failure to properly guard live electrical parts.

The alleged serious violations carry a total proposed penalty of $33,300.

In addition, OSHA cited the firm for alleged other-than-serious violations, including failure to properly assess the workplace to determine personal protective equipment needs; failure to provide proper protective equipment to employees working with combustible chemicals; failure to use permanent wiring instead of extension cords; and failure to keep the area in front of circuit breakers clear.

by Virginia Foran

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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