GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVO) — Workers at Dollar General formed a protest line outside the company’s headquarters on Wednesday, claiming the company fails to take basic precautions to prevent violence at its stores.

The protest was held ahead of the company’s annual shareholders meeting, according to CNN.

Data from the Gun Violence Archive showed that 49 people have been killed and 172 injured at Dollar General stores across the country since 2014.

According to a CNN investigation, six store employees were killed in armed robberies between 2016 and 2020, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited dozens of stores for unsafe conditions.

Dollar General stores are often located in poor communities, rural areas, and troubled neighborhoods, according to store employees, law enforcement, and security experts, the investigation found.

The employees say they are advocating for the company to create a new security position in stores, alter shifts so no worker is ever alone, and provide paid time off for employees involved in violent or dangerous incidents.

The company’s shareholders rejected a resolution from an activist investment firm to have an independent auditor examine the company’s workplace safety policies, calling it unnecessary.

Dollar General operates about 19,000 stores nationwide.

Dollar Tree, which also owns Family Dollar stores, is also facing citations for workplace safety violations, and shareholders there are considering a resolution over worker wages.