U.S. Department of Labor Cites Dollar Tree Stores For Storage and Exit Hazards at New York Location

SYRACUSE, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dollar Tree Stores Inc. for unsafe storage of material, obstructed exit routes and blocked electrical panels at the discount retailer's Elmira, New York, store. The Chesapeake, Virginia-based retailer faces $208,368 in proposed penalties.

OSHA inspectors found boxes and equipment blocking an exit route in a storage room, unsecured boxes stacked to the ceiling, and piles of equipment and boxes blocking access to a circuit breaker. OSHA cited Dollar Tree for three repeat violations. OSHA cited the retailer for similar violations at locations in Bronx, Amityville, Lindenhurst, and Yonkers, New York, in 2014 and 2015. Recently, OSHA cited the retailer for violations at four stores in Idaho.

"Employers have a duty to protect workers from unsafe conditions at stores nationwide," said OSHA Syracuse Area Director Jeffrey Prebish. "Improper storage of merchandise can result in employees being struck by falling inventory, while blocked exit routes can impede swift exit in an emergency."

OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs includes information on how to identify and assess hazards in the workplace.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the 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.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to help ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.