Labor Department says Dollar General jeopardizing worker safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is fining Dollar General after completing an investigation into a store it says violated several federal workplace safety policies. 

OSHA’s June inspection of the low-priced merchandise store in Mobile, Ala., found that Dolgencorp LLC — a subsidiary of Dollar General — violated several rules and regulations. 

The inspection found that store operators failed to keep emergency exits open and orderly, exposed workers to slip and trip hazards and falling boxes and prevented access to electrical panels, according to an OSHA release dated Monday.

OSHA proposed a penalty of $321,827 for the infractions and gave the company 15 days to comply with the fine or contest it.

“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 OSHA Assistant Secretary Doug Parker in a statement.

“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,” he added.

Since 2016, OSHA has proposed fining Dollar General more than $3.3 million in penalties based on 54 inspections of stores across the country. Investigators with OSHA say the company has operated its stores with hazardous and unsafe conditions present, according to the agency’s release.

Dollar General operates more than 17,000 stores in 46 states, employing roughly 150,000 workers.

The Hill has reached out to Dollar General for comment.