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Third RI Dollar Tree store cited by OSHA for worker safety violations
COVENTRY – For the third time this year, a Dollar Tree store in Rhode Island has been cited for safety violations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency announced.
OSHA is proposing $294,668 in penalties following an inspection of the Dollar Tree store at 760 Tiogue Ave. in Coventry.
OSHA began an investigation in January after receiving a complaint and says its inspection found “store employees exposed to slip and trip hazards created by haphazardly stacked boxes falling and spilling items in the store’s shopping area and wheeled carts, large boxes, bins and trash spread throughout the stockroom.”
Inspectors “also discovered boxes of merchandise stacked unsafely in the stockroom, exposing employees to collapse and struck-by hazards,” OSHA said in a press release.
In April, OSHA also cited Dollar Tree Inc. for safety violations at stores in East Providence and Pawtucket that “exposed employees to serious risks and injuries,” the agency said in April. Dollar Tree paid $539,095 in penalties for those violations, OSHA said.
“We have cited Rhode Island Dollar Tree locations before for unsafely stored stock and materials, so they are well aware of these hazards and how to fix them,” OSHA Area Director Robert Sestito said in the press release. “It’s time they put worker safety over profits.”
An OSHA spokesperson issued the following statement in response to an inquiry: “We are focused on maintaining a safe environment for our associates and customers and ensuring our stores comply with all health and safety regulations. We take the issues identified in our Coventry store seriously, remediate them as quickly as possible and continue to enhance our safety program and protocols.”
The Coventry inspection prompted OSHA to cite Dollar Tree for two repeat violations. The federal agency says it has previously cited the company for similar hazards at stores in Providence, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas.
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Since 2017, federal and state OSHA programs identified more than 300 violations in more than 500 inspections at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores, which are also operated by Dollar Tree Inc., according to OSHA.
Dollar Tree Inc., located in Chesapeake, Virginia, operates more than 16,000 Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores in 48 states and five Canadian provinces, according to OSHA. The publicly traded company has more than 193,000 employees and reported a gross profit of $7.7 billion in 2021, OSHA said.
According to OSHA, the company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and 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.
