Home Depot Publishes Essential Safety Checklist for Stores, Offices and Jobs

Home Depot has rolled out an "Essential Safety Checklist for Businesses" that lays out store- and job-type-specific steps aimed at reducing workplace hazards and sharpening expectations for associates, volunteers and suppliers. The guidance touches on common retail and office risks and links to internal policies and supplier verification requirements that will affect how work is assigned and monitored across stores, jobsites and partner facilities.

The public checklist highlights basic office safety items such as fire exits and ergonomic concerns and frames a broader review of workplace hazards. That public guidance aligns with a set of internal and partner documents that provide far greater detail. Internal associate materials emphasize a safety-first culture and clear behavioral expectations: “We are committed to providing our associates and customers a safe working and shopping environment.” Associates are told they must follow safety rules and report concerns: “As an associate, you are expected to comply with all safety standards and demonstrate safe behaviors in everything you do. If you are concerned or have questions, comments or feedback regarding safety or environmental compliance in your workspace, notify your supervisor immediately.”

The company’s internal Q&A underlines training and refusal rights with a concrete scenario. Q: “Marcus, a department supervisor, asked Tonya to use a forklift to help move some pallets, unaware that Tonya was not properly trained to operate lift equipment. What should each party do in this situation?” A: “Realizing the potential safety issue, Tonya should tell Marcus [...] the potential safety issue, Tonya should tell Marcus she is not properly trained. Marcus should advise Tonya not to operate the forklift, find another associate to help and ensure Tonya gets the necessary training so she can assist in the future.” Home Depot also directs associates to its Safety Policy available on myApron or via Corporate Compliance for further detail.

Volunteer and community work through Team Depot and the Home Depot Foundation is governed by its own appendix of safety rules. Those require following manufacturer instructions for powered tools, keeping guards in place, and wearing PPE such as safety glasses. Volunteers must read hazardous chemical labels, avoid horseplay, report unsafe conditions to the Safety Captain or most senior manager on site, and stop work if mold, lead or asbestos is suspected. The volunteer guidance includes an explicit health rule: “Volunteers … may not participate at a Team Depot event if they have tested positive or been exposed to or showing symptoms of any communicable diseases.” Public relations materials associated with community events must be cleared via TeamDepotPR@homedepot.com.

For suppliers and factories, Appendix C - the Factory Pre-Sourcing Checklist - requires documentary and photo evidence. It asks for images of wiring and electrical panel boxes and of liquid propane gas tank storage, details on safety mechanisms installed on machines, inspection records for special equipment and operators, first aid box contents and names and certificates of trained first aid personnel, and counts of worker injuries and work-related illnesses in the past 12 months. The checklist also asks suppliers to describe written policies on freedom of association and collective bargaining and to provide health and safety policy documents.

The checklist suite reinforces training, PPE, documentation and incident reporting as core controls. For associates this clarifies the right to refuse unsafe tasks and the process for reporting hazards; for volunteers it tightens site screening and stop-work triggers; for suppliers it raises verification and transparency expectations. Missing from the materials provided here are complete public checklist text and the enforcement mechanics for supplier responses, so stores, vendors and factory partners will likely seek the full documents and any implementation timeline.

For workers and program leads, the practical next steps are straightforward: review the Safety Policy on myApron or contact Corporate Compliance, ensure training and PPE are up to date, follow the Team Depot stop-work rules on suspected hazards, and if you work with suppliers ask for the Appendix C documentation called for in pre-sourcing. The checklist package signals a push toward stricter documentation and clearer refusal and reporting pathways that could change how tasks are assigned and audited across Home Depot’s operations.