The hits just keep coming for Dollar General, the national discount retail chain that has racked up more than $15 million in proposed federal penalties for workplace safety in its stores since 2017.
Most recently, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace safety inspectors alerted by the concerns of the West Chester Township Fire Department in Ohio, discovered exit routes, doors and fire extinguishers blocked at a Dollar General store in Cincinnati.
"Fast access to fire extinguishers and exit doors and the routes to them are a matter of life and death in an emergency, and yet, despite millions in fines and safety violations at more than 180 locations, Dollar General continues to repeatedly ignore these conditions and risk the safety of their employees," said Ken Montgomery, OSHA area director in Cincinnati.
In September and November 2022, OSHA inspectors found exit routes throughout the store and a storeroom emergency exit and fire extinguishers blocked by stacks of merchandise and rolling containers. The unsafely stacked merchandise also exposed workers to the risk of being struck by falling boxes.
OSHA cited the store's operator – DolGen Midwest LLC – for three repeated safety violations and proposed penalties of $254,478. The findings and penalties continue the history of willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations by parent companies, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC, identified in more than 180 inspections nationwide. Dollar General Corp. is included in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor of the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
