Yet Again, Dollar General Cited for OSHA Violations

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), federal investigators—yet again—found that Dollar General, one of the nation’s largest discount retailers, continues to expose workers and others to dangerous conditions at its stores, this time at location in West Lafayette, Ohio.

Since 2017, OSHA has fined Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC more than US$15 million for numerous workplace safety violations nationwide, described by the administration as “willful, repeat, and serious.” OSHA has at least 100 federal safety inspections currently open at stores owned and operated by the Goodlettsville, Tennessee, company.

OSHA inspectors identified the following five repeated safety violations at the West Lafayette location, with proposed penalties of $395,717:

• Storing boxed material stocked more than 7 feet high on rolling containers throughout the retail area
• Blocking exit routes and the south building exit with wheeled carts, boxes, and bins
• Allowing open bags of food, boxes, and bins to be spread throughout the store
• Obstructing access to fire extinguishers with a ladder, boxes, and carts
• Blocking access to electrical panels with boxes, bins, and carts.

“Dollar General continues to intentionally ignore federal safety standards while the company’s defiance shows they value profits more than the safety and wellbeing of employees,” said Larry Johnson, OSHA area director in Columbus, Ohio. “Dollar General’s unwillingness to make changes across its organization and, as importantly, at stores where hazards persist should be a serious concern for workers and shoppers alike.”

Check out Costly Safety Violations Continue at Dollar General Stores and Safety Violations, Penalties Pile Up for Dollar General to learn more about past inspections of Dollar General stores and the previous fines imposed on the company by OSHA in 2022.

Dollar General has 15 business days from the receipt of the 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.