Eye on Retail: Hazards found at discount stores
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said its inspectors found several safety violation during a late 2022 sweep of Dollar General stores in Maine, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Among the issues:
• Exit routes, doors, fire extinguishers and electrical panels blocked and unsafely stacked merchandise;
• Failing to train employees on safe handling of hazardous chemicals and proper clean-up; and
• Unsafe electrical cords, fire extinguishers that were not inspected, crushing hazards, and conditions that would prevent employees from exiting the store safely in an emergency.
The workplace safety failures identified in these inspections add $3.4 million in proposed penalties to the more than $21 million in fines the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed since 2017 after conducting 240 inspections at stores nationwide.
Responding to a request for comment from HBSDealer, the Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based retailer offered the following statement:
“As a growing retailer serving thousands of communities across the country, Dollar General is committed to providing a safe work environment for its associates and shopping experience for its customers. We regularly review and refine our safety programs, and reinforce them through training, ongoing communication, recognition and accountability. When we learn of situations where we have failed to live up to this commitment, we work to timely address the issue and ensure that the company’s expectations regarding safety are clearly communicated, understood and implemented.”
OSHA said its inspections at Dollar General stores commonly find aisles, emergency exits, fire extinguishers and electrical panels blocked by stored merchandise and other materials, and boxes stacked unsafely.
“Dollar General continues to expose its employees to unsafe conditions at its stores across the nation,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “As one of the nation’s largest retailers, the company must focus its attention on resolving these issues and making corporate-wide changes to protect the safety and well-being of the people they employ.”
