Federal safety regulators have slapped Dollar General with another fine for improperly locking exit doors and blocking electrical access panels at one of its Georgia stores.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, imposed an $83,050 fine against the Goodlettsville, Tenn.,-based retailer for four critical safety violations at a store in Bowdon, Ga. OSHA investigators made their inspection of the store last December after receiving a safety complaint.
Since 2009, Dollar General has been cited more than 40 times and has been inspected by OSHA more than 70 times, usually because of fire safety hazards at its stores.
"Dollar General has been repeatedly cited for blocked exits and electrical panels in stores around the country, but we continue to find these hazards," Christi Griffin, director of OSHA's Atlanta office, said in a statement Monday. "This appears to be an example of a corporation not sharing safety information with all its entities and employees. The company needs to address these issues at its locations immediately."
According to a news release, the Dollar General store in Bowdon failed to ensure that exit doors were unlocked and exit routes and electrical access panels were not blocked by merchandise, display racks or supplies.
OSHA investigators also found that store management failed to have portable fire extinguishers inspected annually.
The same store was previously cited for these same violations in 2014 and 2010.
Dollar General employs more than 100,000 workers nationwide. Most workers are typically engaged in stocking shelves and selling merchandise.
Shares of Dollar General, which rose to a 52-week high on Friday after the company reported higher same-store sales, fell 33 cents per share to close Monday at $75.45 per share.