OSHA Fines Illinois Dollar Tree $364K for Workplace Exposure Violations

With holiday shopping nearing its peak, federal workplace safety inspectors have again found Dollar Tree Stores Inc. – one of the nation’s largest discount retailers – exposing workers in Matteson, Illinois to the risks of unsafely stored and stacked boxes of merchandise and blocked electrical panels.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the Dollar Tree store at 4840 W. 211 St. for the following repeat violations found in a June 8, 2022, inspection:

• Wheeled carts, large boxes and merchandise in the storeroom blocking walkways and work areas, creating slip, trip, fall and fire hazards.
• Unsecured and unstable freight stacked at heights exceeding 6 feet, putting workers at risk of being struck-by falling boxes.
• Electrical panels obstructed by stacked merchandise, creating electrical and fire hazards.

OSHA proposed $364,661 in penalties.

This latest inspection continues Dollar Tree Stores’ lengthy history of failed workplace safety inspections. Since 2017, federal and state OSHA programs have found more than 300 violations in more than 500 inspections at stores operated as Dollar Tree and Family Dollar locations by Dollar Tree Inc. Inspectors typically discover exit routes, fire extinguishers and electrical panels dangerously obstructed or blocked; unsafe walking-working areas; and merchandise stacked unsafely.

“Dollar Tree continues to ignore hazards that put their workers and others at risk of injuries or worse,” said Occupational Safety and Health Chicago South Area Director James Martineck in Tinley Park, Illinois. “All too often, our inspectors find similar hazards at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores that discount employee safety for the sake of profits. The bottom line is, it has to stop before someone is seriously hurt or unable to safely exit in an emergency.”

Founded in 1986, Dollar Tree Inc. is a leading operator of more than 16,000 discount variety stores throughout North America in 48 states and five Canadian provinces. Headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia, the company is supported by a nationwide logistics network, and has more than 193,000 employees. A publicly traded company, Dollar Tree Inc. company reported gross profit of $7.7 billion in 2021.

Dollar Tree Inc. 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.

Topics Commercial Lines Workers' Compensation Business Insurance Illinois