OSHA warns Big Lots workers on cleaning-chemical hazards, safety steps

Why a simple cleanup can turn dangerous

At Big Lots, the people wiping down counters, mopping floors, restocking janitorial supplies or cleaning up a spill are doing more than housekeeping. They are handling chemicals that can irritate eyes and skin, trigger breathing problems and, in the wrong combination, create a serious lung hazard.

OSHA’s guidance is clear on the basic point: cleaning products are workplace chemicals, and they deserve the same attention as any other hazard. The agency says exposure can lead to coughing, wheezing, red or itchy eyes, skin rashes, burns, shortness of breath, sore throat, headaches, dizziness, nosebleeds and asthma. In other words, a quick clean-up can become a health issue when the product is strong, the room is closed off or the label is ignored.

That risk matters in a store environment like Big Lots, where cleaning supplies are not confined to a back-of-house janitor closet. A floor cleaner may be used in a stockroom. A restroom disinfectant may sit behind the scenes. A spray bottle may be refilled and passed around without much thought. OSHA’s message cuts through that casual attitude: the label matters, the container matters and the dilution instructions matter.

The biggest mistake workers should never make

The most dangerous shortcut is mixing bleach and ammonia. OSHA warns that doing so can release dangerous gases that cause severe lung damage. That warning is not theoretical, and it is not limited to commercial janitorial crews. A store associate reaching for a second product to make the first one “work better” can create the same risk.

Workers should treat any unfamiliar combination as a stop sign. If two products are being used in the same area, or if a surface has already been treated with one cleaner and another is about to be sprayed on top, the safe move is to check the label and the safety data sheet first. If the products are not clearly intended to be combined, they should not be.

What OSHA says employers must provide

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard requires chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and employers to provide hazard information through labels, safety data sheets and training. The standard also requires safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical, with specified information in Sections 1 through 11 and Section 16, while Sections 12 through 15 are optional. For workers, that means the paperwork is not an afterthought. It is part of the safety system.

The practical obligations are straightforward. Employers must provide a safe workplace that includes sufficient ventilation, protective clothing, gloves and safety goggles when needed, plus labels on chemical containers and training on the hazards of the products being used and the safe work practices for handling them. If a worker is told to clean a spill or sanitize a surface without knowing what the chemical is, that is a warning sign in itself.

Big Lots’ store layout makes that especially important. The company reported 1,392 stores in the United States as of February 3, 2024, and said it operated 1,392 stores in 48 states as of May 4, 2024. That scale means chemical handling is likely happening across sales floors, restrooms, stockrooms and distribution-related spaces, not just in formal janitorial settings.

What to look for before you touch the bottle

The safest chemical routine starts before the work begins. A worker should be able to identify the product, understand what it does and know what protection is required. OSHA’s pictogram materials are especially useful because they translate hazard communication into visual cues that are easier to understand at a glance, which can help associates who do not have formal safety training.

The warning signs that matter

• A missing or handwritten label on a bottle or spray container • A strong odor in a closed room with no visible ventilation • Instructions that call for gloves, goggles or protective clothing, but no gear is available • A product that is being diluted by guesswork instead of a clear instruction • Two cleaners being used back-to-back without checking whether they react with each other • A “green” cleaner being treated as automatically safe

That last point is important. OSHA cautions that green cleaners are not harmless just because they sound safer. Some still require gloves or goggles, and some can still irritate skin, eyes or lungs. The name on the bottle is not a substitute for reading the label.

Why training gaps matter during store changes

Big Lots has gone through a turbulent stretch. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 9, 2024, and its bankruptcy cases were jointly administered in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. On December 27, 2024, Big Lots announced an agreement with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners involving the transfer of assets, including stores and distribution centers. Big Lots said the transaction was intended to preserve the brand, keep hundreds of stores operating and save thousands of jobs.

That kind of transition is exactly when routine safety practices can fray. When staffing shifts, when a location is closing or changing hands, and when managers are focused on inventory, freight flow and continuity, chemical safety can get treated like a side task. OSHA’s guidance suggests the opposite: that is the moment to slow down, check the label and make sure workers still know what they are handling.

For employees, that means not assuming the person handing over the task knows the product history. For managers, it means making sure the next shift knows where the safety data sheets are, which products need ventilation, which containers have to stay labeled and which tasks require gloves or goggles. Training only works if it is repeated, visible and usable on the floor.

The habits that reduce risk day to day

The safest habits are simple, but they have to be consistent. Workers should wash their hands after using cleaning chemicals and before eating, drinking or smoking. They should also pause before refilling containers, because a plain bottle without a label can turn a known product into an unknown hazard. If the product is being used in a restroom, stockroom or other enclosed space, ventilation becomes part of the task, not a bonus.

Retail workers often think of cleaning as low-skill, low-risk work. OSHA’s guidance shows why that attitude is dangerous. The job is not just to make a surface look clean. It is to make sure the person doing the cleaning does not inhale, touch or mix something harmful in the process.

At Big Lots, where cleaning chemicals can show up on sales floors, in restrooms, in stockrooms and around freight handling, the safest workers will be the ones who stop treating cleanup as a chore and start treating it as a chemical-handling task. That shift in mindset is what keeps a routine wipe-down from becoming a preventable injury.