Safety hazard violation

Federal workplace safety inspections at two Tampa-area Dollar General stores found the company again exposing employees to fire hazards and other unsafe conditions, continuing the long history of disregard for worker safety by one of the nation's largest discount retailers.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued citations for two repeat violations after a Jan. 18, 2023, inspection at a Brandon store identified exit routes blocked and electrical hazards. Inspectors also found the store did not have a working employee restroom and left a restroom sewer drain uncovered, which created a tripping hazard.

Two days later in Dade City, OSHA inspectors found an emergency exit blocked by rolling containers and merchandise, exposing workers to fire and entrapment hazards.

After these inspections, OSHA issued citations to Dollar General Corp. for three repeat, two serious and three other-than-serious violations and proposed penalties of $342,282. Since 2017, the company has faced more than $21 million in fines after more than 243 inspections nationwide.

Between Feb. 1, 2022 and April 20, 2023 — in Alabama, Florida and Georgia alone — inspectors assessed Dollar General nearly $10 million in proposed penalties after more than 30 investigations.

"After more than 200 failed inspections, Dollar General cannot claim that they misunderstand federal safety requirements. At this point, we can only conclude that they choose to continue exposing their employees to hazardous conditions," says OSHA Area Director Danelle Jindra in Tampa, Florida. "Dollar General must make changes to correct these recurring violations before a worker is needlessly injured or worse."

Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC operate about 19,000 stores and 28 distribution centers in 47 states and employ more than 173,000 workers. In fiscal year 2022, the company reported more than $9 billion in net sales.

Dollar General has contested the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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