The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined Dollar General $1.3 million for violations that potentially endangered workers.  Problems observed on inspections included obstruction of exit routes, unsafe stacking and storage of merchandise and inability to access electrical panels. According to the press report, Dollar General has to date been fined more than $6.5 million for safety violations.

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

Dollar General along with other convenience stores has been criticized for subjecting staff to the risk of injury and death from holdups.  Recommendations to upgrade safety provided by police include improved interior illumination, removal of placards over windows so that the store interior is visible from the street, installation of effective security cameras, advising against only one employee in a store after dark and the installation of more effective silent and audible alarm systems.

According to OSHA, six Dollar General employees died as a result of armed robberies from 2016 to 2020 with other workers suffering injuries and extreme psychological stress from facing armed intruders.