The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposes more than $6.5 million in penalties against Dollar General after inspections of 78 locations nationwide revealed startling safety violations.
Dollar General has made it clear profits are more important than the safety of their employees, Assistant Secretary for OSHA Doug Parker said in an Aug. 15 news release.
“Dollar General continues to demonstrate a willful pattern of ignoring hazardous working conditions and a disregard for the well-being of its employees,” Parker said in the release. “Despite similar citations and sizable penalties in more than 70 inspections, the company refuses to change its business practices. OSHA will take all necessary enforcement actions and pursue all available remedies against Dollar General until it fixes the disconnect between its business model and worker safety.”
OSHA cited the company for its failure to keep receiving areas clean and orderly and for stacking materials in an unsafe manner. Workers were exposed to slips, trips and risking being struck by objects by clutter, the release reported. These conditions frequently blocked exit routes and electrical panels which OSHA said would place the workers and customers at risk during an emergency.
Inspections by OSHA since 2017 have resulted in citations against Dollar General locations. Recent inspections of three Georgia locations resulted in citations for obstructing exit routes, unsafely stacking merchandise, and blocking electrical panels, the release said. OSHA proposed $1.2 million in penalties.
Dolgencorp LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dollar General Corp. based in Goodlettsville, Tenn., operates approximately 17,000 stores and 17 distribution centers and employs more than 150,000 workers, according to the release.
Dollar General has 15 days from receiving their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings, the release reported.
