A sign hangs above a Dollar General store in Chicago on August 31, 2023.
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The U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday that Dollar Generalrequiring the retailer and its subsidiaries to pay $12 million in fines and implement major workplace safety improvements at more than 19,000 stores nationwide.
New fines added Over $21 million The discount store has been slapped with hefty fines by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 2017 due to blocked fire exits, dangerous levels of chaos and other safety claims. Gun violence also an issue at Dollar General stores: 49 people shot killed According to 2023 data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, 172 people were injured by gun violence at Dollar General stores.
Dollar General has been hit with repeated violations by the Department of Labor. first company OSHA will add workers to its 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 make worker safety a priority and provide benefits to Dollar General employees by implementing significant and systemic changes in operations to increase accountability and compliance,” said the Assistant Secretary of OSHA. Provide vital input into ensuring your own health and safety.
Under the new settlement, the Tennessee-based retailer is required to hire additional security managers and significantly reduce inventory and improve inventory efficiency to prevent exit blockages and chaos. It also requires that safety and health training be provided to all employees and that safety and health committees with employee participation be established.
Dollar General hired third-party consultants and auditors to identify hazards and conduct unannounced annual compliance audits, created a new security operations center and set up an anonymous hotline for employees and the public to report safety concerns.
The first appointment of a third-party auditor was in response to Shareholder vote The decision was called for in May 2023 but the company opposed it at the time.
The settlement with the Labor Department also requires Dollar General to monitor the results of these efforts and provide quarterly reports to OSHA.
Under the agreement, Dollar General will be required to correct safety hazards, such as blocked access to fire extinguishers and electrical panels and improper storage of materials in stores, within 48 hours and submit proof of correction. Discounters that fail to do so will be subject to additional fines ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 per day.
CNBC has reached out to Dollar General for additional comment.
