Dollar Tree Stores shows “deliberate refusal” to address hazards
Virginia-based discount retailer cited for similar dangers at other stores nationwide
Repeated visits by OSHA inspectors to a Massachusetts Dollar Tree store found blocked exits and other hazardous conditions in the store’s stockroom – and OSHA says similar hazards have been found at other Dollar Tree stores in the U.S.
"This case reflects this company's deliberate and ongoing refusal to effectively address hazards that have been cited multiple times at their stores across the country," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. "On his initial visit to the store, the OSHA inspector informed management of the hazards and the need to correct them. Yet, on subsequent visits, the inspector found these hazardous conditions again and again, showing an unacceptable disregard for employee health and safety."
In a December 2013 inspection OSHA found merchandise in the store’s stockroom was consistently stacked in an unstable and unsecured manner that exposed workers to crushing injuries should the stacks collapse. Emergency exit routes were also consistently blocked by store inventory, shopping carriages, a conveyor and garbage. In addition, the store failed to maintain a means of access to an electrical control panel so that employees could turn off the store’s electrical power in the event of an emergency.