Dollar General Racks Up More than $3.6 Million in Penalties Since 2016
OSHA has found that Dollar General has a long history of exposing employees to dangerous working conditions.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that Dollar General, a nationwide discount retailer, is "discounting safety, and exposing employees to dangerous working conditions.
In a recent press release, the agency said that it had conducted a series of federal workplace safety and health inspections at four Dollar General stores in Alabama and Georgia over the summer in 2021. The inspections found that the retailer had carried on its unsafe work practices despite having been cited many times over the past seven years.
Since 2016, OSHA has proposed more than $3.6 million in penalties in 55 inspections at Dollar General store locations nationwide. Inspectors often find that the retail stores consistently reveal employee exposure to hazards associated with obstructed exit routes, unstable stacking and blocked working space around electrical panels.
In August of 2021, following inspections at three Mobile, Ala. stores, OSHA inspectors identified five willful violations for failing to keep receiving areas clean and orderly and stacking materials in an unsafe manner—hazards which could expose employees to slips, trips and being struck-by objects. The employer also exposed workers to fire hazards by failing to keep exit routes and workspaces around electrical panels clear. As a result of the three Mobile inspections, OSHA proposed $683,680 in penalties.
In Dalton, Georgia, during another August 2021 inspection, OSHA issued citations to Dollar General Store 18688 for two willful and one repeat violations. There, investigators found similar violations. OSHA proposed $364,629 in penalties
“Dollar General's long and extensive history of workplace safety violations and repeated failures to protect its workers shows willful recklessness,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. “Their blatant and continued disregard for the safety of their employees must come to an end. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will make every effort to hold them accountable for their failures.”