OSHA Slams Dollar General for Repeat Safety Violations at Stores

Dollar General, which began in Alabama and now has stores nationwide, has been fined $321,000 for repeated safety violations at a Mobile, Alabama store, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced.

The agency did not sugarcoat the discount retailer’s apparent lack of attention to safety found in a June inspection of the store and in other inspections. The company, known as Dolgencorp, failed to keep the main storeroom orderly to allow safe exit during an emergency, exposed workers to slip and trip hazards and to falling boxes, and prevented access to electrical panels, OSHA said in a news release.

Since 2016, OSHA has fined the corporation more than $3.3 million, the result of 54 inspections at Dollar General stores around the country.

“Dollar General has a long history of disregarding safety measures to prevent serious injury or death in the event of a fire or other emergency,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “This company’s troubled history of workplace safety violations must come to an end, and OSHA will make every effort to hold them accountable for their failures.”

Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dolgencorp is a subsidiary of Dollar General Corp. It operates about 17,000 stores and 17 distribution centers around the nation and employs more than 150,000 people, OSHA said. In September, the rapidly growing company announced plans to open its first Idaho store and expand its presence to 47 states.

Dollar General has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.