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AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Department of Labor announced Wednesday that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Dollar General for four violations at an Austin store.
According to the announcement, OSHA cited Dollar General for blocked exits and fire extinguishers not maintained or mounted as required at the store on 825 E. Rundberg Ln. It said two of the violations were serious and two were repeats. OSHA proposed penalties of $298,685.
“Far too often, our inspections at Dollar General stores find exits and pathways blocked by boxes of merchandise, rolling carts and other materials endangering the safety of employees,” said OSHA Area Director Monica Munoz according to the release.
The announcement said 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.
KXAN emailed Dollar General for comment Thursday morning and will update this story if we receive a response.
The department said OSHA has cited Dollar General and its subsidiary Dolgencorp in 240 inspections since 2017.
OSHA’s findings in Austin are similar to those found by agency inspectors at Dollar General stores around the nation, the Labor Department said.
The agency recently proposed nearly $10 million in penalties after more than 30 investigations between Feb. 1, 2022 and April 20, 2023, in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, according to the department.
In 2022, the agency added Dollar General to its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, the Labor Department said. That program includes employers “who have shown an indifference to their legal obligations to provide a safe and healthy workplace.”
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, according to the announcement.
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