Two Washington Dollar Tree Stores Face Almost $55K in Combined Fines
The fines were issued for blocked electrical panels and stacked boxes that were “perilously close to collapsing,” the state’s Department of Labor & Industries said.
- By Alex Saurman
- Nov 22, 2022
Dollar Tree’s history of penalties continues after two stores in Washington state were fined after allegedly not abiding by safety regulations.
According to a news release, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) recently found blocked electrical panels and unsafely stacked boxes, which were “perilously close to collapsing,” in two Tacoma, Washington, Dollar Tree stores—one on Pacific Avenue South and the other on Steele Street. The agency also found that employees at the Pacific Avenue store who were working above eight feet did not have protection from falls.
L&I issued penalties of $20,72 for the Steele Street store and $20,720 for the Pacific Avenue store. The company has appealed the citations.
This is not the first time L&I has found unsafely stacked boxes at Dollar Tree. In 2019, the company was fined $503,200, one of the highest fines in state history, after merchandise stacked incorrectly was found at a store in Vancouver, Washington.
“We’ve fined Dollar Tree more than a million dollars for violating safety and health rules over the past nine years. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be getting the message,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director of L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, in the news release. “We’ll continue to hold them accountable until they show they value the safety and health of their workers.”
Dollar Tree has a track record of citations and penalties in multiple states. In 2019, OSHA cited four Idaho Dollar Tree stores and proposed penalties of $898,682. In 2021, a Dollar Tree store in Florida was cited for $265,265 in proposed penalties. Earlier this year, a $32,000 was issued in fines to Dollar Tree for violations found in a store in Oregon.
Photo credit: JHVEPhoto / 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.