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COLUMBUS, OH – One of the nation’s largest discount retailers continues to expose employees to the risk of injuries by flagrantly ignoring workplace safety regulations, this time with hazardous conditions found at two Ohio locations, in Maple Heights and Columbus.
Since 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and state OSHA programs have conducted more than 500 inspections at Family Dollar and Dollar Tree – operated by their parent company, Dollar Tree Inc. – and found more than 300 violations. During these inspections, OSHA routinely find exit routes, fire extinguishers and electrical panels dangerously obstructed or blocked; unsafe walking-working surfaces; and unstable stacks of merchandise.
Following the Ohio inspections, OSHA proposed penalties of $1,233,364 for multiple violations.
“Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores have a long and disturbing history of putting profits above employee safety,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “Time and time again, we find the same violations – blocked or obstructed emergency exits and aisles, boxes of merchandise stacked high or in front of electrical panels and fire extinguishers. Each hazard can lead to a tragedy.”
On Jan. 31, 2022, OSHA initiated an inspection following an employee report of unsafe conditions at the Family Dollar store on Dunham Road in Maple Heights. The agency issued citations for one repeat violation and four willful violations, with proposed penalties of $685,777.
Two weeks later, OSHA opened an inspection on Feb. 10, 2022 in response to an employee complaint of water leaking through the ceiling causing wet floors and ceiling tiles on the floor at the Lockbourne Road store in Columbus. As a result, the agency proposed $547,587 in penalties for one serious and one report violation, and four willful violations.
In both inspections, OSHA found hazards related to, obstructed egress, unstable stacks, inaccessible electrical equipment and fire extinguishers, as well as trip and fall hazards caused by water, carts, boxes, trash and merchandise spread throughout walking-working surfaces in the retail areas and storerooms.
A Fortune 500 company, Dollar Tree has been a leading operator of discount variety stores in North America for more than 30 years. Headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia, the company operates more than 16,000 stores across the 48 contiguous states and five Canadian provinces, supported by a nationwide logistics network and more than 193,000 employees. The company’s stores operate under the Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree Canada brands. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015. In 2021, the company reported gross profit of $7.7 billion.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with each of OSHA’s area directors, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Learn more about OSHA.
1 Comment
Old news..but there are still some of these stores that still reminds me of a garbage dump.
Last year ,I visited the Dollar Tree to get some Christmas cards on Candler Rd. .My sister was scared to walk in there because the store was dishoveled. She tried to overlook it because of the holiday..but still. My sister and I did some shopping in McDonough and stopped at another. It wasnt perfect but it looked way better than the one on Candler.
These days,they’re creating their version of Five Below stores with Pop Shelf. I haven’t been in one yet but I’m skeptical.Five Below will always be my baby.It amazes me how these businesses want your money but will not do the right things to bring in customers. As child ,I visited Family Dollar and it was a pretty decent store to go to back in the day. As time passed,the stores became unkempt. Even worse,they want to built Family Dollar/ Dollar General stores basically next door and now this isn’t total exaggeration as there in Stone Mountain.
My brother and I had a discussion on this and he couldn’t get my celebratory reaction of the Dollar Tree closing on Glenwood Rd. I’m tired of those kinds of stores being too close to each other and mostly because of the lack of quality of good food,messiness and customer service. Along with my assessment of these stores,I also felt bad for the people working there with their lack of security.
Some people feel that stores like Family Dollar/Dollar Tree are meant to fill a void for those who don’t have immediate access to good food. Thankfully, I don’t live in a food desert and even if I did,I still wouldn’t go to them. I have travelled almost 18 miles to go to good restaurants. Is it worth it? Yes it is . nobody should have to settle for less.
Recently, the Vine City Wal-Mart was given the green light to reopen again… only it will be a grocery store opposed to it being half retail.I’m happy for the citizens of the community. Their nearest Wal-Marts would have been Cleveland Avenue or Cascade. Those stores would have been to far for people to go to. Supposedly,Vine City/ West End are not in food deserts but if you ask some of the people out there why they would prefer to have that WalMart store and they have already spoken: lack of quality foods,pharmacy and the length of where the store is.
If I’m afforded the ability to travel for my goods,I would do it. I have my pride and dignity.Too often stores like Family Dollar seem to rely on just that.. ones dignity. They think that if a person is low income and/ or don’t have reliable form transportation that they will settle for nothing…like the Life cereral commercial where Mike was suppose to settle for anything. For the owners of these stores its about the old mighty dollar.
I dont care how high/ low my funds get,I will do my best not to go to a Family / Dollar for my goods.