🗞️ Auto Service Chain to Pay $174,000 After Federal Inspectors Find Rigged Lift, Spilled Fluids
Federal inspectors cited Monro Inc., a New York based auto service chain, for seven safety violations at a Norwich facility, including a lift held together with vice grips. The company will pay $174,000 and create a companywide safety hotline.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reached a settlement with Monro Inc., a New York based auto service chain that operates roughly 1,100 locations nationwide, resolving seven workplace safety violations found during an inspection at its Norwich, New York facility. Inspectors documented slip and fall risks from spilled engine oil and transmission fluid, an accumulation of oily rags stored improperly, a missing eyewash station near battery maintenance work, and damaged electrical outlets and conduits. The most serious finding was a repeat violation involving a four post rotary lift whose broken safety latch cable had reportedly been held together with a pair of vice grips, a workaround that OSHA said exposed employees to a crushing hazard. Monro initially contested the citations before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission but ultimately agreed to correct all of the violations and pay the full $174,000 penalty. As part of the agreement, the company will also establish a free, anonymous hotline across its locations so employees can report safety and health concerns directly to corporate safety personnel. Because no single federal standard governs automotive lifts, OSHA typically relies on industry guidance and its general duty clause, which requires employers to maintain workplaces free of recognized hazards, when bringing enforcement actions of this kind.
Key Points
- Monro Inc. agreed to pay $174,000 to resolve seven safety violations found at its Norwich, N.Y. facility.
- Violations included spilled fluids and trash creating slip and fall hazards, improperly stored oily rags, a missing eyewash station near battery maintenance work, and damaged electrical outlets and conduits.
- One repeat violation involved a four post rotary lift with a broken safety latch cable that had been held in place with vice grips, creating a crushing hazard.
- Monro contested the citations before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission before agreeing to settle.
- The settlement requires Monro to correct all violations and establish a free, anonymous safety hotline across its roughly 1,100 locations nationwide.
- The case is tracked under OSHRC Docket No. 26-0334.
Primary Source Author: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs
Primary Source: U.S. Department of Labor News Release, "New York-based automotive service provider agrees to pay $174K to settle safety violations, protect workers after federal investigation"
Primary Source Link: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260713-0
