Dollar General Corp. this week joined more than 400 other employers on the federal government’s “severe violator” watch list.
The recent decision by OSHA to cite four Dollar General stores in the Southeast for more than a dozen alleged violations, carrying proposed fines of $1.68 million, triggered the “severe violator” designation, allowing OSHA to inspect any Dollar General store where it has jurisdiction. Dollar General has more than 18,100 stores across the US with about 163,000 employees. Its fiscal year 2021 revenue was $34.2 billion.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration also has frequently inspected two other national chains of small discount stores, Dollar Tree Inc. and Family Dollar, and handed the chains six-figure fines, but neither has reached severe violator status.
Common OSHA violations at all three chains include storage area exit rows blocked by boxes, inaccessible fire extinguishers, high-voltage electrical panels blocked by boxes, and not keeping storage areas in an orderly condition.
Before the severe violator designation, almost all Dollar General inspections were prompted by workers’ complaints, agency enforcement records showed. Now, OSHA can open an inspection without waiting for someone to contact the agency.
“We will use our full enforcement powers to hold Dollar General accountable for its ongoing pattern of behavior until they show that they take...
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