A automobile drives by means of the parking zone outdoors a Household Greenback Shops Inc. retailer in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Photos
Federal regulators have fined Household Greenback greater than $1.2 million in penalties related to safety violations at two Ohio stores, the Division of Labor’s Occupational Security and Well being Administration stated Monday.
In January and February of this yr, OSHA inspected Household Greenback shops in Columbus and Maple Heights and located blocked exits, unstable stacks, cluttered working areas and inaccessible electrical tools and hearth extinguishers.
On the Columbus location, the company discovered “water-soaked ceiling tiles” had fallen to the ground on at the very least two events in “shut proximity” to staff, in response to the citation.
The company discovered 11 violations between the 2 shops, including to greater than 300 complete violations by Household Greenback and its guardian firm, Greenback Tree, over the past 5 years, OSHA stated in a launch.
“Household Greenback and Greenback Tree shops have an extended and disturbing historical past of placing earnings above worker security,” Assistant Secretary for Occupational Security and Well being Doug Parker stated in an announcement. “Time and time once more, we discover the identical violations – blocked or obstructed emergency exits and aisles, containers of merchandise stacked excessive or in entrance {of electrical} panels and hearth extinguishers. Every hazard can result in a tragedy.”
Consultant for Greenback Tree didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The corporate can contest the quotation and the high-quality with the company.
The fines come simply months after a Meals and Drug Administration investigation discovered rodents, useless and alive, in additional than 400 Household Greenback shops, resulting in mass voluntary remembers of merchandise this previous February.
Greenback shops have seen rising success amid a latest interval of hovering inflation, as customers grapple with increased costs on every little thing from groceries to gasoline. Greenback Tree upped its value level to $1.25 earlier this yr.