Dollar General Corp. exposes employees to workplace safety and health hazards at store in Sherman, Texas

Employer name: Dollar General Corp. is headquartered at 100 Mission Ridge in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The inspected store is located at 2222 Texoma Parkway, Sherman, Texas.

Citations issued: Dec. 31, 2015

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the inspection on July 14, in response to a complaint alleging workplace safety hazards at Dollar General's Sherman, Texas, store. OSHA issued citations for one serious, two repeat, and two willful violations.

Dollar General was cited for two willful violations for failing to keep exit routes clear and unobstructed, and for failing to keep working space clear around the electrical panel. The company was also cited for two repeat violations for failing to keep the store aisles clean and clear, and ensuring that portable fire extinguishers were mounted and accessible. One serious violation was issued for failing to clearly mark an exit route.

Proposed Penalties: $162,800

Quote: "Dollar General stores nationwide have repeatedly been cited for exposing their workers to hazards posed by overstocking issues, while promising time and again to take corrective action, yet workers continue to be exposed to unnecessary hazards," said Josh Bernstein, OSHA's acting area director in Fort Worth, Texas. "It is the employer's responsibility to find and fix these hazards and OSHA will continue to hold this employer accountable."

Link to the citations: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Dollar_General_1077466.pdf

Information: Dollar General has 11,500 stores in 40 states, and employs about 90,000 workers nationwide, including eight workers at its Sherman location. OSHA has received complaints from Dollar General's employees in 21 states since 2006, and has cited the company for 240 safety violations, including numerous willful and repeat violations during this same time period. The company has 15 business days from receipt of their citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Fort Worth Area Office at 817-581-7303. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.