$10 Million Fine in Improper Disposal Case

January 15, 2015

Safeway Cited in Handling of Pharmacy Records, Waste

By , January 14, 2015.

The grocery store chain Safeway has been ordered to pay a $9.87 million penalty as part of a settlement with California prosecutors related to improper disposal of confidential pharmacy records and hazardous waste in dumpsters.

The settlement resolves allegations that Safeway unlawfully disposed of customer pharmacy records containing private medical information in violation of California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.

Prosecutors in California also alleged Safeway unlawfully disposed of various hazardous materials over a period of longer than seven years. Those materials included over-the-counter medications, pharmaceuticals, aerosol products, ignitable liquids, batteries, electronic devices and other toxic, ignitable and corrosive materials, according to a statement from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. That office took the lead on the civil enforcement lawsuit filed on Dec. 31 by a coalition of 43 California district attorneys and two city attorneys.

Safeway operates about 500 stores and distribution centers in California under a number of brand names, including Von’s, Pavilions and Pak ‘n Save, and is in the process of merging with another large grocery chain, Albertsons, which operates stores in several states under brands that include ACME, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaws, Star Market and Super Saver.

The case against Safeway by the California district attorneys was based on a series of waste inspections of dumpsters belonging to Safeway facilities conducted by state environmental regulators and other inspectors during 2012 and 2013.

Kenneth Mifsud, Alameda County assistant district attorney, tells Information Security Media Group that the inspections were conducted at dozens of Safeway stores about once a month during an 18-month period. Investigators – who examined retail store waste taken to landfills – found violations in about 40 percent of the stores inspected. In some cases, pharmacy documents, such as store summaries listing medical and personal information on dozens of patients, were found among the waste, he says.

“The inspections revealed that Safeway was routinely and systematically sending hazardous wastes to local landfills, and was failing to take measures to protect the privacy of their pharmacy customers’ confidential medical information,” says the Alameda County district attorney’s statement. “Upon being notified by prosecutors of the widespread issues, Safeway worked cooperatively to remedy the issue, enhance its environmental compliance program and train its employees to properly handle such waste.”

The case against Safeway spotlights the importance of retail pharmacy chains, hospitals and other healthcare entities properly shredding or “making indecipherable” patient and other consumer personal information before disposing it, Mifsud says.

“There’s a risk of identity theft committed by dumpster divers, and unfortunately by some employees,” he says.

Settlement Terms

According to settlement documents filed in the Superior Court in Alameda County on Dec. 31 – the same day the suit was filed by the district attorneys against Safeway – the $9.87 million in civil penalties and costs Safeway agreed to pay are mainly related to the environmental and unfair business claims against the company. The unfair business claims encompass the violations of California’s medical confidentiality laws, Mifsud says.

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