Dollar Tree faces $477,000 in OSHA penalties for alleged safety violations in Marinette

Dollar Tree Stores Inc. faces more than $477,000 in penalties for alleged safety violations at a store in Marinette, the U.S. Department of Labor said Monday.

Inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the company exposed employees to fire hazards from obstructed and unmarked exit routes and blocked fire extinguishers.

The store also failed to maintain fire extinguishers, OSHA said, and exposed employees to hazards caused by unstable stacks of stored merchandise, fire and electrical hazards associated with blocked electrical panels.

“OSHA continues to receive complaints about unsafe working conditions at Dollar Tree stores across the nation,” Loren Sweatt, principal deputy assistant secretary, said in a news release.

Dollar Tree Stores could not immediately be reached for comment. The company has 15 business days to contest the OSHA findings or request an informal conference with the agency's area director, the release said.