Two Ohio Family Dollar Locations Face Multiple Citations
The proposed penalties for both stores total over $1,200,000.
- By Alex Saurman
- Aug 02, 2022
Two Family Dollar stores in Ohio face over $500,000 in proposed penalties each.
The two stores, one in Maple Heights and another in Columbus, were recently inspected and cited by OSHA, according to a press release. At the Maple Heights location, an employee reported “unsafe conditions,” and at the Columbus location, an employee filed a complaint about “water leaking through the ceiling causing wet floors and ceiling tiles on the floor,” which lead to the OSHA inspections.
The Maple Heights store was cited for one repeat and four willful violations and faces proposed penalties of $685,777. The Columbus store faces one serious, one repeat and four willful violations and proposed penalties of $547,587.
The citations at both stores included unclean areas, obstructed exit routes, no “sufficient access and working space…about all electrical equipment,” and lack of easy access to fire extinguishers, according to citations.
Family Dollar is owned by Dollar Tree Inc. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores across the U.S. employ more than 193,000 workers. Since 2017, violations for Family Dollar and Dollar Tree locations have totaled more than 300.
“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 in the press release. “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.”
Photo credit: Bruce VanLoon / Shutterstock.com
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.