Dollar General agrees to pay $12 million fine to settle alleged workplace safety violations

NEW YORK — Dollar General has agreed to pay a $12 million fine and improve conditions at its thousands of retail stores nationwide to make them safer for workers, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

The discount retailer and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reached the settlement to resolve alleged violations that included unsafe storage, blocked emergency exits and fire extinguishers, and inaccessible electrical panels.

If inspectors find similar problems in the future, Dollar General may be fined $100,000 a day for any that are not resolved within 48 hours, the agreement states.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with OSHA to resolve these matters,” the company said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring a safe working environment for our employees and a pleasant shopping experience for our customers.”

The terms of the deal require Dollar General, which operates the nation's largest chain of dollar stores, to significantly reduce inventory and improve stocking to prevent such hazards. The company also must hire more safety managers and establish a health and safety committee with employee participation.

The agreement covers all of the Goodlettsville, Tennessee, company's 20,000 stores in the U.S. with the exception of its pOpshelf locations, the Labor Department said.

According to the Labor Department, Dollar General hired an outside consultant and an independent auditor to identify potential workplace hazards and to make recommendations for removing them.