A Continuing Trend: OSHA Finds ‘Unsafe Conditions’ at Wisconsin, Texas Dollar General Stores
OSHA proposed a combined total of over $550,000 in penalties after inspecting two stores last year.
- By Alex Saurman
- Apr 14, 2023
Dollar General and its subsidiary, DolGen Midwest LLC, are facing a combined total of over $550,000 in proposed penalties after two OSHA inspections.
According to a news release, OSHA paid a visit to two Dollar Generals, one in Waller, Texas—about 43 miles northwest of Houston—and one in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin—approximately 30 miles north of Green Bay. During these inspections, which took place in October 2022 and December 2022, respectively, OSHA found “unsafe conditions.”
At the Texas Dollar General, OSHA discovered obstructed exits, walkways and electrical panels as well as workers exposed to struck-by hazards, specifically from boxes. A total of $294,657 was proposed in penalties for Dollar General along with a citation for three safety repeat violations.
At the store in Wisconsin, OSHA found similar conditions, such as exit routes and an emergency exit obstructed by stacked merchandise. The agency said that “unsafe electrical boxes” and incorrect cord usage were also found in this location. This inspection resulted in proposed penalties of $257,829 for DolGen Midwest LLC and a citation for three repeated safety violations.
This announcement comes just one week after OSHA published a news release about Dollar General citations for a Pennsylvania store.
In the news release, OSHA Regional Administrator Eric S. Harbin in Dallas spoke about the findings at Dollar General. "Seconds lost trying to move boxes to reach a fire extinguisher or get out a safety exit can be the difference between life and death in an emergency. Allowing unsafe conditions like these to exist is a tragedy waiting to happen,” Harbin said.
More than 170,000 people work for Dolgencorp LLC and Dollar General Corp. OSHA placed Dollar General in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program in 2022.
"Dollar General continues to put profits before the safety and well-being of store employees despite fines of more than $16 million since 2017 and violations at more than 180 locations," said OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton, Wisconsin, in the news release. "Despite reporting billions in profits in 2022, Dollar General has not used its vast resources to make the kinds of companywide changes needed to provide a safe workplace."
Photo credit: QualityHD / Shutterstock.com
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.