OSHA issues $341K in penalties after latest inspections, more than $15M since 2017

COLUMBUS, OH – When federal workplace safety inspectors opened an investigation at a Dollar General store in Columbus, they discovered violations that were all-too-familiar and the kind that has led to more than $15 million in proposed penalties since 2017 for one of the nation’s largest discount retailers.

On May 24, 2022, inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found merchandise stacked unsafely, excessive clutter and unsanitary conditions, and unmarked emergency exits in the storeroom of a Dollar General store at 3636 Lockbourne Road. OSHA cited the store – operated by DolGen Midwest LLC – for four repeated safety violations and proposed penalties of $341,842. A 2021 inspection at a South Euclid, Ohio, store – also operated by DolGen Midwest LLC – found merchandise blocking storeroom exits.

Since 2017, OSHA has cited parent companies, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC for willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations identified in more than 180 inspections nationwide. OSHA has included Dollar General Corp. in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

“Dollar General Corp.’s willingness to avoid its legal responsibility for the safety of its employees is difficult to understand,” said OSHA Area Director Larry Johnson in Columbus, Ohio. “Time and time again, we find the company overfilling its storerooms and...

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