Big Lots safety record at a glance
Big Lots has been the subject of 22 Cal/OSHA inspections in California since 2000, opened between Sep 24, 2001 and Sep 30, 2020. 19 of them were complaint inspections. 13 of them produced citations, 61 in all: 4 serious. Inspectors proposed $50,240 in penalties; after appeals and settlements the current total is $32,070. The largest single penalty, $9,000, came from an inspection opened Jul 31, 2006 in Escondido. That places the employer at #3,169 of 122,854 California employers in the database by penalties. The same employer has 1 WARN layoff notice on file with the EDD. It also appears in 1 federal wage and hour case.
Industry as coded by the inspecting office: Retail Trade. Worksites in San Diego, Modesto, Hemet, Tracy, Elk Grove, Lodi, Clovis, Santa Rosa.
Every inspection, newest first
Click a date for the citations in that inspection.
| Opened | City | Why | Result | Proposed | Penalty | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2020 | San Diego | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | Oct 16, 2020 |
| Dec 2, 2019 | Modesto | Complaint | 4 citations | $805 | $805 | May 27, 2020 |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Hemet | Referral | no citations | 0 | 0 | Sep 8, 2017 |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Hemet | Complaint | open, no citations yet | 0 | 0 | open |
| Jan 20, 2016 | Tracy | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | Mar 11, 2016 |
| Jan 7, 2015 | Elk Grove | Complaint | 2 citations | $1,200 | $1,200 | Mar 25, 2016 |
| Oct 15, 2012 | Lodi | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | Nov 5, 2012 |
| Jun 6, 2012 | Clovis | Complaint | 1 citation | $375 | $375 | Jul 11, 2013 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | Santa Rosa | Complaint | 2 citations | $375 | $375 | Mar 17, 2012 |
| May 25, 2011 | San Diego | Complaint | 19 citations 1 serious | $10,845 | $7,605 | May 18, 2016 |
| Nov 29, 2010 | National City | Accident | 3 citations | $745 | $745 | May 11, 2011 |
| Aug 25, 2008 | Fresno | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | Aug 25, 2008 |
| Mar 15, 2007 | Redlands | Accident | no citations | 0 | 0 | Nov 27, 2007 |
| Jul 31, 2006 | Escondido | Complaint | 7 citations 1 serious | $19,550 | $9,000 | Oct 6, 2008 |
| Jul 17, 2006 | La Puente | Complaint | 5 citations | $1,680 | $600 | Nov 12, 2008 |
| Jul 6, 2006 | Escondido | Complaint | 3 citations 1 serious | $6,300 | $4,350 | Sep 2, 2008 |
| Oct 3, 2005 | Salinas | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | Dec 19, 2005 |
| Sep 28, 2004 | Pasadena | Complaint | 5 citations | $2,145 | $2,145 | Jul 12, 2006 |
| Dec 4, 2002 | Escondido | Complaint | 2 citations | $270 | $270 | Sep 13, 2010 |
| Aug 8, 2002 | Simi Valley | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | Feb 24, 2003 |
| May 30, 2002 | Hemet | Complaint | 5 citations | $1,115 | $1,115 | Jul 30, 2003 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | Sacramento | Complaint | 3 citations 1 serious | $4,835 | $3,485 | Sep 3, 2003 |
Also recorded as: Big Lots, Inc.; Big Lots dba Pic 'n' Save; Big Lots, Inc.
The rules this employer was cited under
- 8 CCR 5194, Hazard communication: 8 citations, $2,690
- 8 CCR 6151, Portable fire extinguishers: 8 citations, $2,575
- 8 CCR 3203, Injury and Illness Prevention Program: 7 citations, $2,415
- 8 CCR 3225: 4 citations, 3 serious, $12,300
- 8 CCR 2340.16, Electrical work space: 4 citations, $935
- 8 CCR 5202: 3 citations, $745
- 8 CCR 3272: 3 citations, $585
- 8 CCR 3276, Portable ladders: 2 citations, $600
Accidents investigated
Local pages: San Diego employment lawyer, Modesto employment lawyer.
How to read this record
Each row is one inspection by Cal/OSHA (or, rarely, federal OSHA) of one worksite. Why is the reason it was opened. Proposed is the penalty the inspector assessed; penalty is the current figure after any appeal or settlement. "Serious" means a realistic possibility of death or serious harm; "willful" and "repeat" carry penalties up to $162,851 each.
Citations document that the employer was told, in writing, what the rule required and when. That knowledge is often the center of a retaliation case: a worker who complained about the hazard an inspector later cited, and was then fired or cut, has a Labor Code 6310 claim, with lost wages and attorney's fees.
Full explainer: how to read a Cal/OSHA record.
If you work, or worked, at Big Lots
Write down what you reported, to whom and when, and what changed afterward: shifts, pay, duties, write-ups. Request the inspection file from the Cal/OSHA district office using the activity number on the inspection page. An injury goes through workers' compensation; a firing, demotion or threat after a safety complaint or injury report is an employment claim with a one-year deadline at the Labor Commissioner (Labor Code 6310) and a longer one in court. Free, confidential review: (800) 371-3088 or send what you have.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, California inspections. Record last checked Nov 1, 2026. Back to the safety tracker.
About this data: Records come from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA enforcement datasets (inspection, violation, accident and accident injury tables), which carry Cal/OSHA's state-plan inspections alongside federal ones. We load every inspection of a California worksite opened since January 1, 2000 and refresh it weekly. Employer names, addresses and industry codes are as the inspecting office recorded them; similar names are grouped where they clearly refer to the same employer. A citation can be reduced, vacated or withdrawn on appeal, and an inspection can stay open for months, so a record can change. Penalties shown as "current" reflect the latest status in the federal file. This page is public information about the employer's regulatory record, not legal advice and not a statement that any person was harmed or any law broken beyond what the record states.