SAFEWAY WAREHOUSE INC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SAFEWAY WAREHOUSE INC — a industry sector 00 facility located at 1227 124TH AVE NE, BELLEVUE, WA 98004 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 18 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $22,440.00. The inspection case was opened on 1994-11-17.

Federal investigators determined that one or more violations at this facility were committed willfully — meaning the employer either knowingly failed to comply with OSHA standards or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. Willful violations carry the highest penalty multipliers under the OSH Act.

State Context: Within WA, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 126,183 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,683.96.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 18 citations spanning 12 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 1 willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation, demonstrating either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the OSH Act or plain indifference to employee safety and health. 3 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 2 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 9 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning August 9, 1990 with the latest abatement deadline set for March 15, 1995. Of the 18 total citations, 15 (83%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, indicating substantial compliance with corrective action requirements.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $22,440.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $1,246.67 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for Safeway Warehouse Inc. reveals a deeply problematic safety culture characterized by systemic failures rather than isolated technical lapses. The centerpiece of this inspection is the $15,000 willful violation, a designation that carries significant legal weight; it demonstrates that management either possessed actual knowledge of a hazardous condition or displayed a plain indifference to worker protection requirements. In the context of 1994 penalty structures, a total assessment exceeding $22,000 for a warehouse environment is exceptionally high, signaling that inspectors encountered pervasive risk. The presence of repeat violations, even those carrying zero-dollar penalties, is a critical