The general dollar criticized the dangerous conditions in stores: "low cost and higher risk"
The new OSHA inspections have led to more quotes and fines compared to the Dollar store chain.
Inflation may have slowed down, but at a time when prices are always higher, Dollar General continues to attract customers with its Daily discounts And already low. But these savings may not be enough to bring the buyers back. Dollar gener Buyers' supervision and leave under-effective stars . Now, the retailer at reduced prices is criticized for something else: dangerous store conditions. Read more to find out why civil servants again raise the main concerns about continuous security problems at Dollar General.
Read this then: Communities are fighting against Dollar General and Dollar Tree - This is why .
Dollar General faces new fines for store conditions.
According to a Georgia and Georgia, the Administration of Professional Safety and American Occupational Occupational Health recently carried out inspections in four different general stores in Florida and Georgia Press release March 13 . From August to September 2022, officials opened inspections in two of the retailer stores in Ocala, Florida, and two others in Columbus, Georgia.
Many "dangerous conditions" have been discovered in these places, which prompted the OSHA to issue fines against General Dollar. Consequently, the company faced a total of $ 710,974 in sanctions offered for five repeated violations in Ocala, and a total of $ 319,3 2020 in sanctions offered for three repeated violations in Columbus.
Better life Contacted Dollar General about these new OSHA fines, and we will update this story with their response.
Several dangers in store have been discovered during recent inspections.
Surveys in Dollar General Stores in Georgia and Florida have revealed multiple violations of society.
A store in Ocala on Marion Oaks Manor was cited For two repeated violations, the OSHA classifies as "serious". This included the emergency exits of the store blocked by garbage bags and Roltians, as well as portable fire extinguishers that are not easily accessible if necessary.
The other general dollar in Ocala - located on 58th avenue - was cited for three serious violations. Similar to the Marion Oaks Manor Store, this location had also blocked emergency outings and extinguishers not easily accessible. But the 58th AVE store was also cited due to the fact that the employees were unable to open one of the exit doors from the interior building without key. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
In Columbus, a general dollar on Victory Drive was penalized For two serious violations. This location has also prevented employees from opening an exit door from the interior without key, but it also did not "ensure effective protection against the dangers struck" due to the stack of goods at heights unstable.
The other general dollar of Columbia - located on the 13th avenue - was however sentenced to a fine for a serious violation. "The employer did not ensure that all the places of employment, passages, shops, service rooms and working work areas are kept in a clean, ordered and sanitary state," wrote Osha in his report For this store.
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Managers say that Dollar General represents "a higher and higher risk".
The OSHA said that, while Dollar General depicts its channel as an "US neighborhood store", its contempt on dangerous store conditions tells a different story. As one of the largest retailers at a reduced price in the country, the company demonstrates "a low cost and higher risk", according to the government agency.
From February 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023, the OSHA declared that it had issued quotes in 23 different general store inspections through Alabama, Florida and Georgia. This alone resulted in a total of $ 7.5 million in the company's penalties.
"Exposing employees and others to these dangers can be dangerous, especially in an emergency", " Kurt loss , Said the regional administrator of the OSHA in Atlanta, in a statement. "Dollar General is well aware of federal requirements, but they continue to ignore their legal responsibilities to protect their employees in stores across the country."
The company was cited for dangerous conditions in other parts of the country.
These are not only these locations either. In Ocala and Columbus, the inspectors "have cataloged many of the same Dollar General violations refused to correct in its stores across the country", according to the new press release.
Since 2017, the OSHA has inflicted a fine on the company more than $ 15 million in more than $ 180 inspections at the national level "for numerous safety violations at deliberate, repeated and serious workplace linked to dangerous conditions" .
Dollar General had even to close some of its stores due to these problems. As Insider reported it in February 2023, various local officials in the United States forced the temporary closure Several different locations in recent months due to overcrowded goods, creating fire risks.
The general stores of two dollars were ordered to close in the county of Pittsylvania, Virginia, after the inspections revealed that the aisles were so congested that there were less than 36 inches of space so that customers And employees move - the minimum required by law, Christopher key , said to Insider, director of public security at the Pittsylvania County.
Regarding stores closed for dangerous conditions, a spokesman for Dollar General Said previously Better life that the company is "determined to provide a safe work environment to its partners and the purchasing experience to its customers".
They added: "We regularly examine and refine our security programs, and reinforce them by training, communication, recognition and continuous responsibility. And ensure that the expectations of the company concerning security are clearly communicated, included and implemented. "