Following the beleaguered chain’s fifth temporary closing in as many weeks, beset by ongoing controversies such as overpricing and safety-related citations, nearly 200 locations are presently vulnerable to forced closure.
Author’s Note
This article is based on corporate postings and accredited media reports. Linked information within this article is attributed to the following outlets: TristateHomepage.com, Google.com, and the U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA.gov).
Introduction
Following Dollar General’s fifth unscheduled temporary closing in under two months, all of which I have discussed on NewsBreak, the U.S. Department of Labor is more closely scrutinizing future permanent and temporary closures primarily for health and safety-related issues.
As I most recently reported in my November 25th NewsBreak article, “Health Department Closes Dollar General Store,” the particular temporary closure referenced in the title was — and still is — largely expected to be the first of many such forced ceasing of operations.
My article excerpted a November 23rd piece from TristateHomepage.com, entitled “Dollar General in Newburgh Closed by Health Department,” that discussed an unspecified safety issue responsible for the Indiana closure: The Warrick County Health Department says on Monday they ordered the store on State Road 662 to close until the violations were corrected. The health department did not say what the violations are, but did say they “constitute a danger to personal safety.”
As also reported, this was not the first time Newburgh’s Dollar General closed for safety reasons. On a related note, as a targeted Google search verifies, analysts anticipate similar national action due to recent U.S. Department of Labor notices on the matter.
Let us explore further.
2023 Dollar General Expectations
A November 28th OSHA press release issued by the U.S. Department of Labor reported on a Columbus, Ohio location currently charged with breaking federal laws: OSHA issues $341K in penalties after latest inspections… When federal workplace safety inspectors opened an investigation at a Dollar General store in Columbus, they discovered violations that were all-too-familiar and the kind that has led to more than $15 million in proposed penalties since 2017 for one of the nation’s largest discount retailers.
The release goes on to elaborate upon the company’s national issue of nearly 200 Dollar General stores now vulnerable to more extreme action, including temporary and permanent closures: Since 2017, OSHA has cited parent companies, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC for willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations identified in more than 180 inspections nationwide. OSHA has included Dollar General Corp. in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
Click on the link for further information about the Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which includes but is not limited to federal court action until or unless compliance is met.
Such action may include closures, which appears likely to occur in early-2023 pending the above.
Conclusion
As I repeatedly mention on NewsBreak, once regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Department of Labor or local boards of health get involved in issues of this nature, forced shutdowns are not unusual pending further scrutiny and response.
The closing of the Newburgh, Indiana Dollar General location has been widely expected by industry analysts to send a signal of sorts to other stores in the chain that do not comply with safety guidelines.
In the event of pertinent updates, I will share them here on NewsBreak.
Thank you for reading.
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