A sign is displayed above a Dollar General store on August 31, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois.
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The U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday Dollar GeneralThe company required the retailer and its subsidiaries to pay a $12 million fine and make significant improvements to workplace safety at more than 19,000 stores nationwide.
The new fines are on top of more than $21 million in fines levied against the discount store by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 2017 for blocked emergency exits, dangerous levels of clutter, and other safety issues. Gun violence has also been an issue at Dollar General stores. According to 2023 data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, 49 people have been killed and 172 injured as a result of gun violence at Dollar General stores.
Dollar General, a repeat violator of Department of Labor rules, is the first company added to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s list of “serious violators” of workplace safety rules in 2023 after the agency expanded the scope of its safety enforcement program.
“This agreement commits Dollar General to prioritizing worker safety by implementing significant, systemic changes to its operations to improve accountability and compliance, and provides Dollar General employees with important information to ensure their health and safety,” Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker said in a press release.
The new settlement requires the Tennessee-based retailer to hire additional safety officers, significantly reduce inventory to prevent blocked and cluttered exits, and increase the efficiency of inventory management, as well as provide health and safety training to all employees and establish a health and safety committee with employee participation.
Dollar General has hired third-party consultants and auditors to identify hazards and conduct unannounced annual compliance audits, set up a new Safety Operations Center and maintains an anonymous hotline for employees and the public to report safety concerns.
The third-party auditor was only appointed following a shareholder vote in May 2023 calling for the appointment of a third-party auditor, a decision the company opposed at the time.
The Department of Labor settlement also requires Dollar General to monitor the results of these efforts and submit quarterly reports to OSHA.
The agreement requires Dollar General to correct safety hazards in its stores, such as blocked access to fire extinguishers and electrical panels and improper storage of materials, within 48 hours and provide proof of the corrections. If the discount retailer doesn’t comply, it faces additional fines ranging from $100,000 to up to $500,000 per day.
CNBC has reached out to Dollar General for further comment.
