OSHA Fines Dollar Tree For Fire Safety Violations

The national discount retailer Dollar Tree, Inc. is racking up safety violations with federal regulators. Just last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced yet another round of fines to the everything-for-a-buck store. So, why is the Dollar Store in hot water?

Authorities say the Dollar Tree store located in Watauga, Texas -- just outside of Dallas -- had numerous safety violations, including blocking fire exits. Jack Rector noted that this particular store had 45-pound boxes "haphazardly" stacked in the storage room, which could tip over and crush workers.

It's not uncommon for stores and companies to stack heavy boxes, but it must be done in a manner that eliminates the risk of it being tipped over. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case at the Dollar Tree in Wataugu; thus, OSHA regulators issued a $262,500 fine to the company.

"Allowing boxes weighing up to 45 pounds to be haphazardly stacked in the storage room exposes workers to crushing injuries," wrote Jack Rector, OSHA’s director for the Fort Worth area. "Failing to correct this violation and other hazards, including blocked exits, puts worker safety in jeopardy – and that is unacceptable."

This isn't the first time OSHA has issued a fine against Dollar Tree. In the last five years, the company has been cited for a jaw-dropping 234 safety violations, several dozen of which occurred this year.

OSHA chief David Michaels said this latest round of citations is the largest ever in the history of Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree currently employs some 87,000 workers throughout 5,000 U.S.-based stores. In a response to the recent round of citations, a spokesperson for the company said it is "committed to maintaining a safe workplace environment for each of our associates. We are currently in the process of contesting recent OSHA citations."

OSHA's current standards require most workplaces to have a minimum of two fire exit routes to allow workers, shoppers and anyone else on the premises to exit in the event of a fire and/or emergency. Exit routes must also be located as far away from one another as possible. This is necessary to ensure that at least one exit remains operational (i.e. fire exit may be smothered in fire or smoke). Currently standards require all fire exits to be at least 7 feet, 6 inches tall.

Do you think these fines are justified? Let us know in the comments section below!