Dollar Tree Cited After Hazards Found at Rhode Island Store
The company now faces $294,668 in proposed penalties.
- By Alex Saurman
- Jun 30, 2023
An OSHA inspection at a Rhode Island Dollar Tree earlier this year has resulted in almost $300,000 in proposed penalties for the company.
According to a news release, while at the Dollar Tree location in Coventry, Rhode Island, the agency discovered that workers were exposed to slip and trip hazards as well as collapse and struck-by hazards, respectively, from the following:
- “[S]tacked boxes falling and spilling items in the store’s shopping area” along with an untidy stockroom and
- Boxes stacked in a dangerous manner
After the January 2023 inspection, which started as a result of a complaint, Dollar Tree Inc. was cited for two repeat violations. The company also faces proposed penalties of $294,668.
Dollar Tree paid $539,095 in penalties after two other stores in Rhode Island—in East Providence and Pawtucket—were cited earlier this year, per the news release.
"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," said OSHA Area Director Robert Sestito in Providence, Rhode Island, in the news release. "It's time they put worker safety over profits."
But the discount retail chain’s track record of violations extends beyond the northeast. Over 300 violations have been found at other stores in the U.S.
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.