Retail Trade · Columbus, OH

Big Lots, INC.

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Big Lots, INC. ranks #4,218 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 15 violations across 4 inspections.

Top 5% by penalty87% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$57,085
OSHA penalties: 15
Violations cited: 4
OSHA inspections: #4,218
of 99,447 penalized employers

Big Lots, INC. in Columbus, OH has been the subject of 4 OSHA workplace inspections and 15 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $57,085. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Big Lots, INC. 4 times over 8 years, roughly once every couple of years. These inspections resulted in 15 violations, averaging 3.8 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #4,218 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 13 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Retail Trade industry average of 1 inspections per employer, this runs well above peers (4.9x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Target Corporation in East Hanover, NJ is another retail trade employer with 2 OSHA inspections on record and $57,285 in current penalties.

3.8
violations per inspection: 86.7%
of violations were serious: #4,218
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

F 35/100

F OSHA safety compliance: 15 violations across 4 OSHA inspections (3.8 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.

Channels are separate federal datasets: a dimension marked not applicable simply has no record in that dataset for this employer, not a good or bad score.

Open my watchlist

Big Lots, INC.

$57,085
Retail Trade avg

$2,898

What this shows Big Lots, INC. runs far above peers (19.7x the sector average) in total OSHA penalties.

Where this penalty ranks nationally

Total current OSHA penalty vs every U.S. employer with a nonzero penalty

$57,085 Bottom 4% least affordable more affordable than 4% of 99,447 U.S. employers with a penalty

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more U.S. employers with a penalty. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement extracts · 2026

Does more inspection scrutiny mean more findings?

Each dot is one of 21 Retail Trade employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Big Lots, INC..

Big Lots, INC. has 4 OSHA inspections on record and 15 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Retail Trade peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Big Lots, INC. in the Retail Trade enforcement ledger

Among 3,175 Retail Trade employers with OSHA penalties on file, Big Lots, INC. ranks #113 at $57,085 current penalty.

How Big Lots, INC. Compares

Big Lots, INC.'s 3.75 violations per inspection compares to the Retail Trade sector average of 1.7 violations per employer.

Against the Retail Trade industry average of $2,898 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs far above peers (19.7x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2011-11-01

Last Inspection

2019-09-17

Inspection Span

8 yrs

Violations / Inspection

3.8

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$14,271

Industry Avg / Inspection

$3,571

What this shows 4 inspections over 8 years, averaging 3.8 violations per visit. That's $14,271 per inspection vs. the Retail Trade average of $3,571.

Serious

86.7% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

13.3% of total

Other-Than-Serious

0.0% of total

What this shows Serious violations involve hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm. Willful violations indicate intentional or knowing disregard of the law. Repeat violations are for hazards previously cited within the past 5 years.

Initial Penalty Assessed

$105,486

Current Penalty Amount

$57,085

Penalty Reduction

45.9%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $48,401 from the initial assessment of $105,486. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Retail Trade

How Big Lots, INC. compares to the Retail Trade sector, which has 12,945 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Big Lots, INC.	Industry Avg
Inspections	4	0.8
Violations	15	1.7
Total Penalty	$57,085	$2,898
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$14,271	$3,571

View all 12,945 employers in Retail Trade →

Nationwide Retail Trade peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Big Lots, INC., both outside OH so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($57,085 here).

Target Corporation $57,285 NJ Dillon Companies, LLC $56,854 CO Altman Specialty Plants, INC. $56,760 CA Food Center Corporation $57,529 VI

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (4 inspections here).

Aldi (Florida) L.L.C. 4 insp. Royal Palm Beach, FL ME Salve Rio Piedras INC 4 insp. Caguas, PR Home Depot U.S.a., INC. 4 insp. Hilo, HI Island Market 4 insp. Olympia, WA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Retail Trade

Showing 5 of 12944 other employers tracked in this sector.

2 inspections $57,285

Dillon Companies, LLC

Glendale, CO

2 inspections $56,854

Mid Citites Jeep Truck & Van

Compare Big Lots, INC. vs Blue Ribbon Fruit side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Big Lots, INC.'s enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Big Lots, INC. against Blue Ribbon Fruit, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Big Lots, INC.'s inspection and penalty record is typical for Retail Trade or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Retail Trade sector
Before you accept a job or raise a safety concern, search any employer for its own OSHA inspection history the same way you found this one. Search employers

Figures reflect closed OSHA and WHD federal enforcement actions on record (2010–2026); not every workplace issue results in an inspection or investigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Big Lots, INC. safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Big Lots, INC.'s workplace safety record is concerning, with multiple serious compliance issues. The employer has 15 violations across 4 inspections, including 13 serious violations. Compared to Retail Trade industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does Big Lots, INC. have? ▼

Big Lots, INC. has 15 OSHA violations on record, including 13 serious, 0 willful, and 2 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $57,085.

How many OSHA inspections has Big Lots, INC. had? ▼

Big Lots, INC. has had 4 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2011-11-01 and the most recent on 2019-09-17. This averages 3.8 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Big Lots, INC.? ▼

Big Lots, INC. has been assessed $57,085 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $105,486 (a 45.9% reduction).

Does Big Lots, INC. have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Big Lots, INC. has 13 serious violations, and 2 repeat violations. Serious violations involve hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Willful violations indicate the employer intentionally or knowingly disregarded the law.

What industry does Big Lots, INC. operate in? ▼

Big Lots, INC. operates in the Retail Trade sector (NAICS code 452990). This industry has 12,945 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 10,505 total OSHA inspections and $37.51M in cumulative penalties.

Where does Big Lots, INC. rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Big Lots, INC. ranks #4,218 (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). The ordinal is a live COUNT of employers with a lower total_current_penalty; see the methodology page for the exact derivation.

How does Big Lots, INC.'s safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Big Lots, INC.'s total OSHA penalty of $57,085 is above the Retail Trade industry average of $2,898 per employer (19.7x the average). The employer has 4 inspections compared to the industry average of 0.8 per employer. For a direct comparison, Target Corporation in East Hanover, NJ is a similar retail trade employer with $57,285 in current penalties.

Data Sources & Methodology ▼

Data as of 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA, WHD).

Source: OSHA Enforcement Data

Inspection and violation records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, covering the period 2010–2026. Includes inspection dates, violation types (serious, willful, repeat, other-than-serious), and penalty amounts. Penalties shown are current assessed amounts and may differ from original citations due to settlement, contest, or reduction.

Source: Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Compliance actions from the WHD, covering enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including minimum wage, overtime, and child labor violations. Back wages represent amounts owed to affected employees as determined by WHD investigations.

Employer Matching

Employers are matched across OSHA and WHD datasets by name, state, and city. Employers included in PlainWorker have 2 or more OSHA inspections or $1,000+ in WHD back wages. Data is updated monthly from data.dol.gov.