An employee complaint has resulted in more than $83,000 in OSHA penalties issued to a Dollar General store located in Bowden, Georgia this past December.An employee complaint has resulted in more than $83,000 in OSHA penalties issued to a Dollar General store located in Bowden, Georgia this past December.

OSHA compliance officers are renewing their focus on retailers, particularly smaller-sized store retailers because the challenge of having a small space may sometimes result in safety hazards.

For example, Dollar General stores nationwide have received more than 40 citations since 2009, totaling nearly half a million dollars ($497,915). A competitor store, Dollar Tree, has received more than 150 citations for more than $1,750,000 in the same time period.

The citations for Dollar General and Dollar Tree are typical of small retailers: The most popular violations are blocked fire exits, blocked electrical cabinets, and fire extinguisher violations.

Also vulnerable to OSHA citations are gasoline station convenience stores, particularly if the store has multiple locations. “OSHA targets employers with multiple locations because there is a greater opportunity for repeat violations, and thus more revenue potential for the agency,” says Robert Box, Principal Consultant with Safety First Consulting in Georgetown, Texas. “Opportunities for repeat violations are why we believe gasoline station convenience stores will be OSHA’s next cash cow.”

A “Serious” violation may cost the employer up to $7,000 for each serious violation. A “Repeat” violation may cost the employer up to $70,000 for each repeat violation.

A repeated violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.

Gasoline convenience stores struggle with virtually the same challenges as Dollar General: Very little storage space, and a relatively small store footprint for the merchandise.

“Safety First Consulting routinely finds OSHA violations at convenience stores such as blocked fire exits, blocked electrical cabinets and fire extinguisher violations – just like dollar retail stores,” says Box. “OSHA views smaller-sized retail as an easy target, which is why we believe OSHA will be turning their focus towards convenience stores this year or next year.”

”[Retail stores are] repeatedly cited for blocked exits and electrical panels in stores around the country…” said Christi Griffin, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office, who says OSHA will be focusing more on retailers due to these issues.

“OSHA is constantly looking for easy revenue,” says Box. “Establishing an OSHA compliant establishment is not difficult or expensive, but it can be time-consuming. It’s best to start working on the basics and improve from there, or get help from an expert to help you along the way.”