OSHA Finds More Hazards at Dollar General Stores, Proposes Over $1M in Combined Penalties
Blocked exit routes and unsafely stacked boxes and merchandise were among the violations the company received citations for.
- By Alex Saurman
- Mar 15, 2023
Discount retailer Dollar General is facing more than $1,000,000 in combined proposed penalties after inspections in Florida and Georgia stores.
According to a news release, these inspections, conducted in August and September 2022, revealed violations similar to those found at other Dollar General locations across the U.S.
At two stores in Ocala, Florida, the company was cited for five repeat violations after OSHA found “an automatic sliding door disabled and locked” and exit routes and fire extinguishers blocked by merchandise, the agency said.
OSHA also issued citations for two repeat violations after it found a Columbus, Ohio store—located on Victory Drive—with unsafely stacked boxes and merchandise and a locked emergency exit door. In a second Columbus location—this one on 13th Avenue—OSHA discovered that hallways had been obstructed, resulting in citations for one repeat violation.
"Exposing employees and others to these hazards can be dangerous, especially in an emergency," said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta in the news release.
OSHA issued proposed penalties of $710,974 after the Florida inspections; $221,001 after the Victory Drive inspection; and $98,219 after the 13th Avenue inspection.
The discount retailer, which has more than 173,000 employees, has been cited many times before. Proposed penalties from multiple inspections in just one year’s time (Feb. 1, 2022, to Jan 31, 2023) totaled almost $7.5 million, per the news release.
"Dollar General is well aware of federal requirements, but they continue to ignore their legal responsibilities to protect their employees at stores throughout the nation,” Petermeyer continued.
Photo credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com