If it’s a new month, it must be a new round of proposed fines for workplace safety violations against Dollar General stores, adding to the more than $21 million in fines OSHA has proposed against the retailer since 2017.
Unsafe conditions typically found by federal workplace safety inspectors at discount stores operated by Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp nationwide were on display again during Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections at nine locations in Maine, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin in late 2022.
The workplace safety failures identified in these inspections add $3.4 million in proposed penalties to the more than $21 million in fines OSHA has proposed since 2017 after conducting 240 inspections at stores nationwide.
OSHA inspections at Dollar General stores commonly find aisles, emergency exits, fire extinguishers and electrical panels blocked by stored merchandise and other materials, and boxes stacked unsafely. These conditions expose employees to fire, electrical and struck-by and other hazards in violation of federal regulations.
“Dollar General continues to expose its employees to unsafe conditions at its stores across the nation,” says Doug Parker, assistant secretary for occupational safety and health. “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.”
Dan Hounsell is senior editor of the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
