WA317964683 - DOLLAR TREE STORES INC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, WA317964683 - DOLLAR TREE STORES INC — a retail trade facility located at 305 SE CHKALOV DR, VANCOUVER, WA 98683 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 1 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $79,200.00. The inspection case was opened on 2021-07-02.

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 $79,200.00 is more than 12.2× 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 WA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 126,183 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,683.96.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 1 citations spanning 0 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 1 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 December 2, 2021 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 2, 2021. Of the 1 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 per-citation average of $79,200.00 exceeds OSHA's FY2024 statutory maximum of $16,131 for serious violations, indicating the presence of willful or repeat classifications that carry enhanced penalty authority under Section 17 of the OSH Act.

The enforcement action at this Vancouver facility underscores a persistent, systemic failure in life safety management that is characteristic of the retailer’s national compliance profile. The citation under WAC 296-800-31010(4) specifically addresses the failure to maintain unobstructed exit routes, a critical hazard in high-volume retail environments where inventory mismanagement often leads to "storage creep." For workers, these obstructions transform a routine workplace into a potential death trap during a fire or emergency, as blocked egress points significantly increase egress