Adidas America Inc. faces more penalties for continuing to ignore OSHA standards. The company had previously received citations requiring it to correct existing fall hazards at its Chester, New York warehouse, and paid $17,403 in penalties. They have now been fined an additional $396,377.

The action comes after a January 2024 follow-up inspection at the facility prompted by Adidas’ failure to submit required proof to OSHA that the company had installed required guardrails or equivalent protection for employees accessing and working atop a mezzanine, and made certain a ladder used to access the mezzanine extended at least three feet above the landing.

OSHA cited the company in March 2022 after its original 2021 inspection found the absence of guardrails and an unsafe ladder exposed Adidas employees to falls of up to 10 feet to the floor below. Inspectors returned in 2024 to find the company had not corrected its violations.

“When employers agree to correct a hazard, they must follow through and prove to OSHA that the hazards were addressed,” explained OSHA Area Director Rita Young in Albany, New York. “Adidas America Inc. failed to do so, continued to expose their employees to potentially deadly and disabling injuries and are now liable for additional and sizable OSHA penalties.”

Adidas America Inc. is a subsidiary of Adidas AG, an athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany, which is one of the world’s largest sportswear manufacturers.