March 30, 2018 #18-007
Dollar Tree stores
cited again and fined maximum for putting workers at risk
TUMWATER — For the second time in less than two years, Dollar
Tree Stores Inc., faces stiff fines for workplace safety violations at two of
its stores. The company faces $306,000 in state penalties.
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) cited and
fined the Virginia-based employer after inspections at the company’s Bonney
Lake and Kelso stores found “willful” violations, the most severe. The L&I
inspector found the stores were knowingly exposing employees to workplace
safety hazards. Dollar Tree stores in Aberdeen and Chehalis were cited for the
same violations in 2016.
“We are seeing the same safety violations at Dollar Tree
stores over and over again in Washington,” said L&I Division of
Occupational Safety and Health Assistant Director Anne Soiza. “It’s concerning
because this is a national problem as well. Employees, and sometimes customers,
are being put at risk even though the fixes to these safety problems are
simple.”
L&I initiated the recent inspections after getting complaints about
safety hazards at the two stores. A customer at the Bonney Lake store contacted
L&I to express concerns for the store employees’ safety because boxes
crowded and blocked pathways and emergency exit routes. Many boxes were also
stacked precariously and so high that they could easily have fallen on
employees or even customers in some instances. All of the willful violations
are serious, but the blocked pathways and emergency exits are the most
concerning.
Bonney Lake
store cited for dangerous stacks of boxes and obstructed exits
At the Bonney Lake store, the company was cited for three
willful safety violations. The first was for not ensuring that exit routes were
free of obstructions. At the time of the inspection, merchandise blocked several
aisles and passageways. Employees did not have clear paths from the breakroom
and other areas to emergency exits and could be trapped in a fire or other
emergency. Because of the employer’s history, this violation carries the
maximum fine of $70,000.
The second willful violation cited was for storing
merchandise in a way that created a safety hazard. The stockroom was packed
with boxes of merchandise in stacks and piles. Heavy boxes were on top of light
ones, some had fallen from the stacks, and there were uneven and leaning stacks
more than nine feet high. This violation also carries the maximum penalty of
$70,000.
Improperly stored merchandise can fall on employees causing
serious injuries or even death if the boxes cause an employee to fall and
strike their head on the floor. Lifting heavy boxes onto nine-foot stacks is
also likely to cause strains and sprains or serious back injuries.
A third willful violation with a penalty of $26,000 was
cited for not installing protective guarding or covers over light fixtures that
could be struck and broken by the stacked merchandise, which could cause eye
injuries or cuts from falling glass.
Kelso Dollar
Tree cited for similar safety violations
At the Kelso store, the company was cited for two willful
violations with maximum penalties of $70,000 each. The violations were similar
to those cited at the Bonney Lake store and previously at the Aberdeen and
Chehalis stores. Merchandise was crowded into a storeroom with uneven stacks as
high as eight feet, and exit routes were blocked or obstructed with boxes of
merchandise.
Dollar
Tree has appealed the citation.
Penalty
money paid as a result of a citation is placed in the workers' compensation
supplemental pension fund, helping injured workers and families of those who
have died on the job.
For a copy of
the citations, please contact Public Affairs at 360-902-5413.
For media information: Elaine Fischer, 360-902-5413 or Elaine.Fischer@Lni.wa.gov.
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