151936 - DOLLAR TREE STORES, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, 151936 - DOLLAR TREE STORES, INC. — a retail trade facility located at 5600 ALBEMARLE ROAD, SUITE 300, CHARLOTTE, NC 28212 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 4 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $40,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2022-05-31.

DOL records document workplace safety violations warranting formal citation under the OSH Act. While classified at the standard enforcement level, all OSHA citations require corrective action and may indicate areas where workplace safety programs should be strengthened.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 3.1 per 100 full-time workers — 15% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 2.2 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $40,000.00 is more than 6.2× the national average of $6,467.77 for facilities in the Retail sector (NAICS 452990). This sector encompasses 10,854 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $70.2M.

State Context: Within NC, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 88,256 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,699.39.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 4 citations spanning 4 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 3 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 1 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning September 30, 2022 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 4, 2022. Of the 4 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $40,000.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $10,000.00 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement activity at this Charlotte facility underscores a persistent pattern of hazardous materials handling and egress obstruction characteristic of systemic logistical failures within the retail sector. The assessment of three "Repeat" violations—targeting improper storage (1910.176(b)), walking-working surface maintenance (1910.22(a)(1)), and electrical clearance (1910.303(g)(1))—indicates that management failed to implement permanent corrective actions following prior citations for identical hazards. This recidivism suggests a breakdown in the corporate safety culture, where high-volume inventory turnover frequently supersedes basic safety protocols. In practical terms, the $26,500 penalty for unstable stacking (1910.176(b)) reflects a high-gravity risk of "struck-by" injuries to workers navigating cramped stockrooms. When coupled with the "Serious" violation for obstructed exit routes (1910.37(a)(3)), the data reveals a life-safety crisis: employees are subjected to a dual-threat environment where they are at risk of being crushed by falling merchandise while simultaneously being denied a clear path of egress during an emergency. The $40,000 total penalty, while substantial for a single retail location, is consistent with OSHA’s aggressive stance toward "Repeat" offenders in the NAICS 452990 category. This record demonstrates that the hazards were not isolated incidents but rather symptomatic of a failure to manage the physical footprint of the store’s inventory.