The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has levied more than $16 million in fines against Doller General for alleged violations at nearly 200 of the discount retailer’s stores.
Violations ranged from blocked exits and walkways to unsafe stacks of boxes, putting employees at risk, a DOL news release said this week. At a Houston location, inspectors found blocked exits, walkways and boxes blocking electrical panels, leading to an OSHA citation for a trio of repeat violations and penalties of nearly $295,000. At a store in Oconto Falls, Wis., inspectors found emergency exits blocked by rolling containers and stacks of merchandise, leading to five citations and penalties of more than $257,000.
Robert Bonack, OSHA area director, noted that despite the fines, which have been issued for six years, the retailer continues to break the rules.
“Dollar General continues to put profits before the safety and well-being of store employees despite fines of more than $16 million since 2017 and violations at more than 180 locations,” Bonack, who is based in Appleton, Wis., said in the news release. “Despite reporting billions in profits in 2022, Dollar General has not used its vast resources to make the kinds of companywide changes needed to provide a safe workplace.”
Eric S. Harbin, OSHA regional administrator in Dallas, said that by ignoring the safety measures, Dollar General is putting employees and shoppers in peril.
“Seconds lost trying to move boxes to reach a fire extinguisher or get out a safety exit can be the difference between life and death in an emergency,” he said in the release. “Allowing unsafe conditions like these to exist is a tragedy waiting to happen.”
Goodlettsville, Tenn.,-based Dollar General—which employs more than 170,000 workers at more than 19,000 stores in 47 states—was placed on OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program in 2022; the release said. The program targets companies that continue to break the same rules.
The retailer has 15 business days to comply with the current citations and pay the penalties. It can also request a formal conference with OSHA or dispute the rulings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
