OSHA cites Dollar Tree for unsafe conditions at south Ala. store
Stock photo of a Dollar Tree.
December 9, 2019 at 2:45 PM CST - Updated December 9 at 2:46 PM
ANDALUSIA, Ala. (WSFA) - A national retailer has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, for safety issues at a south Alabama store location.
OSHA says discount retailer Dollar Tree Stores Inc. exposed its Andalusia, Alabama, store employees to safety hazards including slip, trip, and fall hazards by failing to keep passageways and walking surfaces in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition.
The retailer is also accused of allowing cases of merchandise to be stacked unsafely, for failing to address struck-by hazards, and for permitting emergency exits to be blocked.
The company faces $312,576 in penalties.
"Dollar Tree Stores Inc. has an extensive history of similar violations and continues to show a disregard for safety measures designed to keep employees safe on the job," said OSHA Mobile Area Director Jose Gonzalez. "Store employees should not be subjected to the same hazards previously identified and cited at multiple Dollar Tree locations nationwide."
Dollar Tree Stores Inc. has a long history of serious and repeated violations related to unsafe stacking of merchandise and blocked exits. Since 2015, OSHA has cited the Chesapeake, Virginia-based company for similar violations at locations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas, New York, and Rhode Island.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings.