The hits just keep coming for Dollar General, which has been hit over and over and over again with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines related to workplace safety violations. Just weeks after being cited with federal violations, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC have once again exposed workers to unsafe conditions, this time at two store locations in Florida and another in Alabama.
On June 26, 2022, OSHA inspectors found stores in Middleburg and Green Cove Springs, Florida, had merchandise blocking exit routes, exposing workers to fire and entrapment hazards. OSHA issued citations for two repeat violations, with $196,438 in proposed penalties.
Less than a month later – on July 13, 2022 – OSHA inspectors again found merchandise blocking exit routes at a Dollar General store, this time in Double Springs, Alabama. They found the company allowed boxes and merchandise to be stockpiled in an unstable manner, exposing workers to struck-by hazards. OSHA issued citations for two repeat violations, with $205,117 in proposed penalties.
In the past 11 months, OSHA inspections at 19 stores in Alabama, Florida and Georgia have identified dozens of similar violations. These types of hazards present serious risks for employees and others in an emergency, as well as the potential for them to be struck by unsafely stacked boxes in storerooms and elsewhere.
Since 2017, OSHA has issued more than $15 million in fines and cited Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp for numerous willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations related to unsafe conditions in more than 180 inspections nationwide.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor of the facilities market. He has more than 25 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
