Oct. 29, 2015

Dollar General Corp. continues to expose employees to workplace safety
and health hazards at store in Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Company fined more than $113K following OSHA investigation

Employer name: Dollar General Corp. is headquartered at 100 Mission Ridge in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The inspected store is located at 700 South 4th Street, Hamburg, Pa.

Citations issued: On October 21, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one serious and three repeat violations.

Investigation findings: OSHA initiated the inspection in response to a complaint alleging hazards due to a bolted and blocked exit and low light conditions for exits. The store was cited for having an unmarked and blocked exit and blocked aisles. A citation was also issued for the company's failure to have a readily accessible fire extinguisher.

Dollar General stores have been cited more than 40 times and inspected by OSHA more than 70 times since 2009, usually because of blocked exits and electrical panels, as well as improperly maintained fire extinguishers.

Proposed penalties: $113,300

Quote: "Dollar General's negligence in protecting employees from these hazards - despite the number of times they have been brought to the company's attention - is completely unacceptable," said Kevin Kilp, OSHA's area director in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "It only takes one emergency for workers to get hurt or killed because of the company's deficient safety practices. Dollar General needs to take immediate action to prevent a tragic incident."

View the citations: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/DollarGeneral497_1057045.pdf

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Harrisburg Area Office at 717-782-3902.

# # #

Media Contacts:

Leni Fortson, 215-861-5102, uddyback-fortson.lenore@dol.gov
Joanna Hawkins, 215-861-5101, hawkins.joanna@dol.gov

Release Number: 15-2093-PHI (osha 15-102)

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department's Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).