A workplace safety lapse at a Wegmans Food Market Inc. commercial bakery in Rochester, New York, led to a severe employee injury and subsequent penalties from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The incident, which occurred on December 16, 2015, involved a bakery worker who sustained broken bones in her hand and arm while cleaning a moving conveyor belt and roller.
OSHA’s investigation into the Wegmans Food Market bakery revealed that employees routinely cleaned the machinery while it was still in operation, a direct violation of the agency’s hazardous energy control standards. Specifically, Wegmans failed to implement lockout/tagout procedures, which require machinery to be completely powered down and secured before maintenance or cleaning. Furthermore, investigators found that Wegmans Food Market had not adequately trained its employees on these critical safety protocols. This is not the first time Wegmans has been cited for similar safety oversights. OSHA records indicate previous citations for comparable hazards at the same bakery in October 2011 and September 2015, highlighting a concerning pattern of repeated violations at the Wegmans facility.
Michael Scime, OSHA’s area director in Buffalo, emphasized the preventable nature of the incident and the concerning history of safety lapses at Wegmans Food Market. “These hazards and the injury that resulted were preventable. They also reflect an unfortunate and needless pattern. OSHA has repeatedly cited the bakery for similar lockout and training hazards over the past five years, including incidents in 2015 in which one employee sustained a finger injury and another suffered a first-degree burn,” Scime stated. He stressed the urgent need for Wegmans to take “effective and ongoing action” to ensure proper training and safeguards for its bakery employees, preventing future incidents and injuries.
As a consequence of this most recent inspection, OSHA has issued Wegmans Food Market two repeated violations of workplace safety standards. The proposed penalties for these violations total $140,000 in fines. Wegmans has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to respond, which includes options to comply with the requirements, request a meeting with OSHA’s area director, or formally contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Wegmans Food Markets Inc., a well-known supermarket chain operating 89 stores across New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts, now faces increased scrutiny regarding its workplace safety practices. This incident serves as a critical reminder for all employers, including major food retailers like Wegmans Food Market, about the paramount importance of adhering to OSHA safety standards and ensuring comprehensive employee training to prevent workplace accidents and protect their workforce. For further information or to report workplace safety concerns, OSHA provides a toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) and its Buffalo Area Office can be reached directly at 716-551-3053. The core mission of OSHA remains to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for all American workers through enforcement, standard setting, training, and education.
