OSHA proposes more than $260K in penalties against Dollar General for safety violations at 4 central Pa. stores

Dollar General has opened a new store in Perry County.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced it has issued five citations for violations at four Dollar General stores in Adams, Franklin and Dauphin counties.

OSHA said that inspectors found hazardous conditions at the stores owned and operated by Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC. OSHA responded to a complaint and said that it found Dollar General had "exposed employees to blocked exit routes and electrical panels, and overall poor housekeeping practices."

"OSHA found federal safety regulations ignored and Dollar General's employees exposed to potentially dangerous conditions that are preventable," Kevin Chambers, OSHA area director in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said in a news release. "These are serious concerns that, left uncorrected, could lead to disaster for employees and others in an emergency."

OSHA issued citations for two repeat and two serious violations and one "other-than-serious" violation with $267,652 in newly proposed penalties.

The agency said that the citations were issued after it inspected stores at: 4910 Fairfield Road in Hamiltonban Township, Adams County, near Fairfield; 5736 Carlisle Pike in Reading Township, Adams County, near New Oxford; 16300 Path Valley Road in Fannett Township, Franklin County, near Spring Run; and 881 Peters Mountain Road in Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, near Dauphin.

The Dollar General store in Reading Township was cited for blocking the stockroom emergency exit door and its associated panic hardware. OSHA said it was a repeat serious violation and is proposing a $147,334. penalty.

The Dollar General store in Middle Paxton Township was cited for having such items as trash cans and brooms located within the exit route of the emergency exit door. OSHA said it was a repeat serious violation and is proposing a $98,219 penalty.

The Dollar General store in Fannett Township was cited because employees were not able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge. OSHA said it was a serious violation and is proposing a $14,733 penalty. OSHA said this was corrected during the inspection.

The Dollar General store in Hamiltonban Township was cited because the employer did not ensure that at least one entrance of sufficient area was provided to give access to the working space of about electric equipment 600 Volts, nominal, or less. OSHA said the employer's stock room was filled with materials that prevented access to the working space for the electrical installations, and that employees would be exposed to electrical, fire and struck by hazards if they were required to reach the panels quickly. OSHA said this was a serious violation and proposed a penalty of $7,366. The violation was corrected during the inspection.

OSHA also cited the same Dollar General store because the register area had a cylinder of compressed helium gas that was not secured to prevent it from falling or being knocked over. OSHA called it an "other-than-serious" violation and didn't impose a fine.

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.

Dollar General provided the following statement to PennLive on Thursday:

"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."

In October, OSHA added Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC to its "Severe Violator Enforcement Program". OSHA said it has opened more than 240 inspections at Dollar General stores across the nation since 2017 leading to more than $21 million in proposed penalties.

Earlier this year, OSHA cited Dollar General for safety violations at one of its stores in Lycoming County and proposed a $245,544 penalty. Dollar General said it was contesting those violations.

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