Adidas faces fines due to work conditions at Chester warehouse

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 penalties for allegedly continuing to ignore U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety standards, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

The Chester facility is located at 37 Elkay Drive.

The action came earlier this year when Adidas allegedly failed to submit proof that the company had installed required guardrails or equivalent protection for employees accessing and working atop a mezzanine and made certain a ladder used to access the mezzanine was extended at least three feet above the landing.

The company was cited in March 2022 after its original 2021 inspection allegedly found that the absence of guardrails and an unsafe ladder exposed Adidas employees to falls of up to 10 feet to the floor below. Inspectors returned this year and alleged that the company had not corrected its violations.

“When employers agree to correct a hazard, they must follow through and prove to OSHA that the hazards were addressed,” OSHA Area Director Rita Young said in an Aug. 9 news release. “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.”

According to the DOL, Adidas America Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to “comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings.”