OSHA slaps second Alabama Dollar Tree with safety violation fines, this time more than $100,000

Published 2:31 pm Tuesday, December 17, 2019

For the second time this month, federal officials have slapped an Alabama Dollar Tree location with a hefty fine for safety hazards.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited national discount retailer Dollar Tree Stores Inc. for exposing employees to safety hazards at its Rainbow Drive store in Rainbow City, Alabama. The company faces $104,192 in penalties.

OSHA cited the company for exposing employees to struck-by hazards by failing to ensure the stacking of cases of merchandise in excess of 8 feet high in a stable manner.

Earlier this month the company’s Andalusia location was fined more than $300,000 for safety violations.

“Employers are responsible for ensuring that materials are stored in a safe manner that does not expose workers to injuries,” said OSHA Birmingham Area Director Ramona Morris. “It is unacceptable that this employer continues to subject workers to the same hazards previously identified and cited at other Dollar Tree locations.”

Dollar Tree Stores Inc. has a long history of serious and repeated violations related to unsafe merchandise stacking and blocked exits.

OSHA’s Worker Safety Series on Warehousing provides solutions to prevent improperly stored materials from falling.

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 before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.