Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC, which owns more than 18,000 Dollar General discount stores in 47 states, are facing $1.6 million in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines after the agency claimed the discount chain and its operator “again ignored federal workplace safety standards.”

OSHA on Monday said the newest fines, stemming from inspections at four locations in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, bring to $9.6 million the total of fines issued to the chain since 2017.

In the latest round, inspectors cited the stores for four willful and 10 repeat violations for failing to keep receiving and storage areas clean and orderly, and stacking materials in an unsafe manner. These violations exposed workers to hazards associated with slips, trips and being struck by objects.

OSHA citations also included those for exposing workers to fire and entrapment hazards by failing to keep exit routes and electrical panels clear and unobstructed. Finally, the company received citations for failing to mount and label fire extinguishers and for having a locked exit door that required a key to open.  

OSHA says it has conducted 182 inspections at Dollar General locations nationwide, where agency inspectors often find unsafe conditions that put workers’ safety at risk if they need to exit quickly in an emergency.

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