Dangers discounted: US Department of Labor finds Dollar General willfully exposing workers to fire hazards at central Pennsylvania store

Retailer continues to defy federal workplace safety requirements, fined $15M since 2017

A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has again found Dollar General exposing workers to dangerous safety hazards – including blocked emergency exit routes and electrical panels – this time during a November 2022 inspection at a Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, store.

The findings continue the nationwide discount retail chain’s long history of federal workplace safety violations that have generated $15 million in penalties since 2017.

In response to a complaint, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration began an inspection at the store and identified safety violations similar to those discovered at stores operated by Dollar General Corp. throughout the U.S. Inspectors found employees exposed to fire hazards related to blocked exit routes and electrical panels. OSHA issued a citation for one willful violation and one repeat violation with $245,544 in proposed penalties.

The Jersey Shore inspection is among more than 180 investigations nationwide in which OSHA has found the company jeopardizing worker safety.

“Exposing employees to these hazards can be dangerous, especially in an emergency,” said OSHA Area Director Mary Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. “Dollar General Corp. has a substantial history of the same violations and hazards found at stores all around the U.S. They must end their repeated failures to correct these violations before an emergency turns tragic.”

Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC operate about 18,000 stores and 17 distribution centers in 47 states and employ more than 150,000 workers.

Dollar General has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.