‘Unsafe Conditions’ Persist: Dollar General Hit with $3.4 Million in Proposed Penalties After Inspections
Inspections at nine stores in Maine, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin have brought the company’s total proposed penalties since 2017 to over $21 million.
- By Alex Saurman
- May 31, 2023
Inspections at nine Dollar General stores have resulted in new proposed penalties of $3.4 million for the company.
According to a news release, the inspections that resulted in combined proposed penalties of $3.4 million took place at stores in Maine, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
In Enfield, Maine, north of Bangor, OSHA issued citations to DG Retail LLC for five repeat violations and proposed penalties of $321,419 after it discovered access to an emergency exit was obstructed, employees could not quickly access a fire extinguisher due to obstructed aisles and fire extinguishers were not visually inspected every month, per the news release.
At six stores in North Dakota, located in Casselton, Garrison, Hillsboro, Killdeer, Minot and Tioga, Dollar General Corporation/ DG Retail, LLC received citations for 32 violations and faces proposed penalties of $2.5 million after OSHA discovered obstructed “exit routes, doors, fire extinguishers and electrical panels” and merchandise not stacked in a safe manner, the agency said.
These citations also include violations for failing to give workers PPE and trainings related to chemical handling and clean-up after OSHA discovered six workers at the Minot store had been exposed to toxic vapors in December 2022.
In Kettering, Ohio, located outside of Dayton, OSHA found obstructed “exit routes, fire extinguishers and electrical panels” and cited the company for three repeat violations and proposed $270,116 in penalties.
At the store in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, about 30 miles east of Green Bay, OSHA cited DolgenCorp, LLC for four repeat and four willful violations for obstructed exit routes and electrical panels as well as uninspected fire extinguishers, among other violations. Proposed penalties for this inspection total $367,216.
Obstructed exit routes, fire extinguishers and electrical panels are violations that have been identified at numerous Dollar General stores across the U.S.
“Dollar General continues to expose its employees to unsafe conditions at its stores across the nation,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in the news release. “As one of the nation’s largest retailers, the company must focus its attention on resolving these issues and making corporate-wide changes to protect the safety and well-being of the people they employ.”
This newest proposed penalties of $3.4 million bring Dollar General’s total since 2017 to more than $21 million.
Photo credit: ErnieJourneys / 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.