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.