By Sabela Ojea


Dollar General has agreed to pay $12 million in penalties to the Labor Department to settle alleged safety violations at the discount retailer's stores.

The settlement resolves existing contested and open federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections related to blocked emergency exits, electrical panels and fire extinguishers and unsafe storage, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The agreement includes a requirement for Dollar General to implement corporate-wide changes that would make the safety of its employees a priority, such as significantly reducing inventory and increasing stocking efficiency to prevent blocked exists and unsafe material storage.

Dollar General would also have to hire additional safety managers, and provide safety and health training to both leadership and non-managerial employees.

The company has retained a third-party consultant and auditor to make the safety of its employees a priority, and maintained an anonymous hotline for employees and the public to report safety concerns, as part of the settlement.

Dollar General didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

"These changes help give peace of mind to thousands of workers, knowing that they are not risking their safety in their workplaces and that they will come home healthy at the end of each day," said Douglas Parker, the Labor Department's assistant secretary for occupational safety and health.


Write to Sabela Ojea at sabela.ojea@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

07-11-24 1545ET