Warehouse’s locked exit route could cost it again, OSHA says

A Passaic distribution warehouse apparently didn’t learn from a previous citation, and faces more than $112,000 in fines as a result, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday.A May 3 inspection at Oaxaca Mexican Products’ facility at 100 8^th St. found an exit door and route were “obstructed by locking devices that require special knowledge and tools to open in case of emergency,” OSHA said in a news release. The agency said the company had previously been cited for the same type of condition on the same door.

“The fact that Oaxaca has again put its employees’ lives at risk by not making sure a fire safety door was easily opened is completely unacceptable,” Lisa Levy, director of OSHA’s Hasbrouck Heights Area Office, said in a prepared statement. “In this day and age, providing employees with proper emergency exits is Safety 101.”

The company was cited for one willful, 20 serious and three other-than-serious violations, OSHA added. Proposed penalties totaled $112,700.

Additional conditions resulting in citations included fall hazards, inadequate and improper exit signage, lack of machine guarding and more, according to the news release.

The company had 15 days from receipt of the citations to contest or accept them, or request a meeting with OSHA officials.