April 20, 2023

Dollar General again found exposing employees to fire, entrapment hazards,
after federal workplace safety inspection at Orlando-area store

National discount retailer adds $401K in penalties to $16M total since 2017

WINTER GARDEN, FL – Federal workplace safety inspectors have found Dollar General Corp., one of the nation's largest discount retailers, exposing its employees and others to unsafe conditions again, this time in Winter Garden, Florida.

In October 2022, inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found employees facing fire and entrapment hazards as shelving, rolling containers and merchandise blocked exit routes. OSHA also discovered merchandise blocking walkways and items stacked in an unstable manner, exposing workers to trip and struck-by hazards.

The agency cited the company with one willful violation and two repeat violations. Dollar General faces $401,812 in newly proposed penalties.

Since 2017, OSHA has assessed Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp more than $16 million in fines and issued citations in more than 180 inspections of Dollar General stores nationwide for numerous willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations related to unsafe conditions.

"Years of OSHA inspections that have identified systemic hazards makes it clear that Dollar General values profits more than the safety of the people who work in their stores," said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. "They are well aware of federal requirements, but they continue to ignore their legal responsibilities to protect their employees at stores throughout the nation."

In 27 Dollar General store inspections in Alabama, Florida and Georgia from Feb. 1, 2022, through March 13, 2023, OSHA assessed the company with a total of nearly $8.5 million in penalties.

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.

The company has contested the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA.

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Media Contacts:

Erika Ruthman, 678-237-0630, ruthman.erika.b@dol.gov
Eric R. Lucero, 678-237-0630, lucero.eric.r@dol.gov

Release Number:  23-698-NAT