Federal workplace safety inspectors have fined the operators of Dollar General discount stores in four states, including six stores in North Dakota.

The U.S. Depart of Labor investigators say they discovered 32 violations between October and December of last year, which included unsafe conditions and other various safety failures in stores in Casselton, Garrison, Hillsboro, Killdeer, Minot and Tioga, levying $2.5 million in proposed penalties among them.

State fire marshals alerted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to concerns about hazards at four stores in North Dakota, which were cited for repeated violations for obstructing exit routes, doors, fire extinguishers and electrical panels, along with unsafely stacked merchandise. OSHA also responded to complaints at two locations, including the store located at 2745 East Burdick Expressway in Minot.

The Minot location received three citations related to an incident that occurred on Dec. 30, 2022, in which six store employees suffered exposure to toxic vapors after several incompatible substances leaked out of their containers and mixed. The agency cited Dollar General for not providing employees with adequate respiratory protection and personal protective equipment to perform the task of cleaning up the chemicals and for failing to train employees on the safe handling and proper cleanup of the hazardous chemicals. Three Dollar General employees sought medical treatment due to the incident. Total proposed penalties for the Minot Burdick location are $477,969.

The workplace safety failures identified in Maine, Ohio, Wisconsin and North Dakota totaled $3.4 million in proposed penalties, the latest in more than $21 million in fines resulting from OSHA inspections at 240 Dollar General stores nationwide since 2017.

The discount chain of 19,000 stores is operated by two corporations, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, along with 28 distribution centers in 47 states. Dollar General employs more than 173,000 workers. The company will have 15 days to comply with the proposed penalties or remedies, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director Scott Overson or contest the findings before a review commission.