Dollar Tree fined $254K for workplace safety violations

The Department of Labor has fined Dollar Tree more than $254,000 for alleged workplace safety issues at a Texas store.

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Inspectors visited a store in Mount Pleasant last September and said they found merchandise blocking exits and walkways. They also said boxes were stacked “high enough to fall on workers,” KDFW reported.

The inspectors also said storerooms, service rooms and passageways were not clean.

“In the event of an emergency, workers and others must have fast and safe access to unblocked exit routes,” Regional Administrator Eric S. Harbin said in a statement released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “Retailers like Dollar Tree that fail to make sure their stores’ storage areas are organized and safe are endangering everyone who works and shops there.”

OSHA issued citations to the company for three repeat violations, fining Dollar Tree $254,478.

The company has 15 business days to either comply with the citations, request a conference with OSHA’s regional director or contest the findings, OSHA said.

These are the latest violations found in Dollar Tree stores.

OSHA said it identified more than 300 violations during more than 500 inspections in 2017 at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores run by the Chesapeake, Virginia, company.

Dollar Tree operates 16,000 stores in 48 states and five Canadian provinces. It employs more than 193,000 people and had a gross profit of $7.7 billion in 2015.