OSHA proposes $319,000 in fines for safety violations at Dollar General stores in Columbus, Ga. area

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that one of America’s largest discount retailers “continues to expose workers to unsafe conditions”.

The agency inspected stores in Ocala, Florida, and Columbus, Georgia, and catalogued many of the same violations Dollar General has refused to correct at its stores throughout the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

OSHA’s investigation in Columbus found Dollar General’s Victory Drive location exposed workers to fire and entrapment hazards by locking an emergency exit door. The location had boxes and merchandise stored in an unsafe manner, exposing workers to struck-by hazards. OSHA issued citations for two repeat violations with $221,001 in proposed penalties.

At the retailer’s 13th Avenue location in Columbus, Ga., OSHA found boxes of merchandise, shopping carts and other items blocking walkways, exposing employees to trip hazards. OSHA cited Dollar General with one repeat violation and $98,219 in proposed penalties.   

“Exposing employees and others to these hazards can be dangerous, especially in an emergency,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. “Dollar General is well aware of federal requirements, but they continue to ignore their legal responsibilities to protect their employees at stores throughout the nation.”

In Alabama, Florida and Georgia, OSHA has issued citations in 23 Dollar General store inspections from Feb. 1, 2022 through Jan 31, 2023, with a total of nearly $7.5 million in penalties. 

Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC operate about 19,000 stores and 28 distribution centers in 47 states and employ more than 173,000 workers. In fiscal year 2022, the organization’s net sales were more than $9 billion.

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. You can learn more at https://www.osha.gov/

Agency: Occupational Safety & Health Administration

Date: March 13, 2023  Release Number: 23-402-NAT

OSHA proposes over $400,000 in fines for Georgia insulation manufacturer's willful and serious safety violations

Bonded Logic Inc. has been cited for willful, repeat, and serious safety violations with proposed fines totaling $423,432 after an inspection was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

The inspection occurred after a 21-year-old line operator suffered severe head trauma after being caught in a machine’s roller. Bonded Logic is an insulation manufacturer based in LaFayette, Ga. 

OSHA has found the employer willfully failed to develop and use lockout/tagout procedures to prevent machines from sudden starts or movements during maintenance, and did not control the release of stored energy while machines were serviced. 

Additionally, OSHA identified repeat violations for not installing safety guards on machines and failing to certify forklift operators. The agency also cited the company for failing to: 

·         Conduct an evaluation to identify permit-required confined spaces and develop and implement a permit-required confined space program. 

·         Train employees on the hazards associated with permit-required confined spaces and complete entry permits prior to entering those spaces. 

·         Ensure energy control devices were applied to all energy sources during maintenance or servicing. 

·         Maintain proper guarding of chains and sprockets on machinery. 

“Bonded Logic put profits before safety and now a young worker must cope with the aftermath of a horrible and preventable injury,” said OSHA Area Office Director Jeffery Stawowy in Atlanta-West. “The employer’s failure to develop and ensure the use of lockout procedures for employees who work near and perform maintenance on dangerous machinery is hard to comprehend.” 

OSHA had previously visited the site in 2018 and 2021 and had issued three serious and five other-than-serious violations for hazards associated with eye protection, machine guarding, housekeeping, powered industrial trucks and confined space. 

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 

Release Number 23-376-ATL