DOLLAR TREE #6655

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, DOLLAR TREE #6655 — a retail trade facility located at 1340 LOGAN AVE, WATERLOO, IA 50703 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 8 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $96,907.50. The inspection case was opened on 2018-03-13.

Cumulative penalties significantly exceed the national median for OSHA enforcement actions. The penalty amount suggests multiple high-gravity citations, indicating conditions that presented a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm to employees.

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 $96,907.50 is more than 15.0× the national average of $6,467.77 for facilities in the Retail sector (NAICS 452112). This sector encompasses 10,854 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $70.2M.

State Context: Within IA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 19,658 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,797.42.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 8 citations spanning 4 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 4 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 4 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning November 28, 2017 with the latest abatement deadline set for February 18, 2019. Of the 8 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 $96,907.50 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 $12,113.44 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for this Waterloo location reveals a chronic failure to manage basic life safety and material handling hazards, characterized by a dangerous pattern of recidivism. The citation structure—pairing Serious violations with corresponding Repeat violations for the same standards—demonstrates that management was aware of specific regulatory requirements but failed to sustain corrective actions. Practically, the hazards identified under 1910.36 and 1910.37 indicate that workers were exposed to "death-trap" conditions where obstructed egress routes would prevent a safe evacuation during