Jun. 1—Two area Dollar General stores were cited by federal safety inspectors as part of a continuing nationwide investigation of the retailer.

"Dollar General continues to ignore federal safety standards that would protect its employees and others in its stores," said Occupational Safety and Health Administration Area Director Stephen Kirby in a press release announcing the citations. "Our inspectors routinely identify hazards caused by poor housekeeping, unsafe storage and by walkways and exits blocked by merchandise. These conditions must be corrected before serious injuries or worse occur in an emergency."

The Dollar General locations in Hartshorne and Wilburton were both cited for repeat and severe violations following a Dec. 1, 2022 inspection — costing the company $267,622 in penalties.

According to OSHA documents, the Hartshorne location was cited for failing to "ensure that the space about the electric equipment had sufficient access and working space to permit ready and safe operation exposing employees to fire and electrical hazards."

The Wilburton location was cited for storing merchandise in front of an electrical control panel mounted in front of a refrigeration unit "and exposed employees to fire and electrical hazards."

Both locations were also cited for blocking fire exits and walkways with merchandise and were deemed repeat-serious violations due to previous citations at other store locations.

OSHA states the violations "are part of wide and continuing trend at the company's stores."

"In 12 inspections in Alabama, Florida, Maine, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin from October through December 2022, OSHA cited Dollar General stores for dozens of violations, including many repeat violations and proposed nearly $4.5 million in penalties for these inspections," OSHA said in a statement.

Safety violations and penalties have cost the company more than $21 million since 2017, OSHA states.

According to the agency, Dollar General was added to the severe violator enforcement program in 2021 "which concentrates resources on inspecting employers cited for willful, repeated or failure-to-abate violations and for showing indifference to their legal obligations to provide a safe and healthy workplace."

Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC operate approximately 18,000 stores and 17 distribution centers in 47 states and employ more than 150,000 workers.

The company has 15 business days from the receipt of the citations to comply, request a meeting with the area director, or contest the findings.