TARGET CORPORATION

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, TARGET CORPORATION — a retail trade facility located at 21 BROAD STREET, STAMFORD, CT 06901 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 9 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $64,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2018-12-21.

Cumulative penalties significantly exceed the national median for OSHA enforcement actions. The penalty amount suggests multiple high-gravity citations, indicating conditions that presented a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm to employees.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 3.1 per 100 full-time workers — 15% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 2.2 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $64,000.00 is more than 9.9× the national average of $6,467.77 for facilities in the Retail sector (NAICS 452111). This sector encompasses 10,854 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $70.2M.

State Context: Within CT, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 33,669 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,368.63.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 9 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 2 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 3 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 4 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning June 14, 2019 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 1, 2019. Of the 9 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $64,000.00 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 $7,111.11 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for this Target Corporation location reveals a deeply entrenched pattern of egress and material handling failures, underscored by the heavy weighting of repeat violations. The centerpiece of this inspection was a $60,000 repeat citation for 1910.37(a)(3), indicating a systemic failure to keep exit routes unobstructed. For retail workers, this represents a life-safety hazard where stockroom congestion directly compromises emergency evacuation capabilities. The penalty amount for this single item is significantly higher than industry averages for department stores, signaling OSHA’s frustration with the employer’s inability to sustain corrective actions across its enterprise. Beyond egress, the citation cluster involving Powered Industrial Trucks (PIT) and storage stability (1910.176 and 1910.178) demonstrates a breakdown in administrative controls and safety training oversight. The presence of repeat violations for PIT training and certification suggests