Dollar General hit with just about $1.3 million in office protection fines

The DOL mentioned it visited retail outlets previous this 12 months in Pembroke, Hogansville and Smyrna and noticed blocked go out routes, dangerously stacked products bins and tough to get entry to electric panels.

The division’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed greater than $6.5 million in fines for Dollar General since 2017, pronouncing the inspectors have often discovered “unsafe conditions that put workers at risk.”

In Georgia, the inspectors mentioned disorderly prerequisites may just motive employees to slide, travel or be struck by way of gadgets.

“Dollar General continues to demonstrate a willful pattern of ignoring hazardous working conditions and a disregard for the well-being of its employees,” mentioned Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in a unlock. “Despite similar citations and sizable penalties in more than 70 inspections, the company refuses to change its business practices.”

“Following these inspections, we took immediate action to address issues and reiterated our safety expectations with store teams,” Dollar General mentioned in a observation. “The safety of our employees and customers is of paramount importance to us, and we will continue to work cooperatively with OSHA.”

The DOL scrutinized Dollar General places within the Southeast as part of earlier investigations. In February, the dept proposed greater than $1 million in fines after an identical hazards have been present in Alabama and different Georgia places. Another $321,827 in fines have been proposed in December at a Mobile, Alabama, location.

Dollar General has 15 industry days to comply, contest the violations or request an off-the-cuff convention, the Department of Labor mentioned.

Another one of the vital country’s biggest cut price shops, Dollar Tree (DLTR), which operates each Family Dollar and Dollar Tree, has confronted greater than $1.2 million in proposed office violation fines since 2017. The DOL mentioned it has discovered greater than 300 violations since that point.