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Dollar General, Department of Labor reach settlement over safety violations
A repeat offender at the Department of Labor, Dollar General has become the first company to be added to OSHA’s list of “serious violators” of workplace safety rules in 2023 after the agency expands the scope of its safety enforcement program.
“This agreement commits Dollar General to making worker safety a priority, implementing significant and systematic changes across its operations to improve accountability and compliance, and provides Dollar General employees with essential information to ensure their own health and safety,” Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker said in a press release.
Under the new agreement, the Tennessee-based retailer is required to hire additional safety managers and significantly reduce its inventory and increase stocking efficiency to avoid blocked exits and clutter. It is also required to provide safety and health training to all employees and develop a safety and health committee with employee participation.
Dollar General hired third-party consultants and auditors to identify risks and conduct unannounced annual compliance audits, created a new Security Operations Center, and maintained an anonymous hotline for employees and the public to report security concerns.
The independent auditors were initially hired in response to a shareholders vote in May 2023, requesting one, a decision the company opposed at the time.
The agreement with the Department of Labor also requires Dollar General to monitor the results of these efforts and provide quarterly reports to OSHA.
Under the settlement, Dollar General will be required to fix safety hazards such as blocked access to fire extinguishers and electrical panels and improper storage of materials in its stores within 48 hours and submit proof of correction. The discounter will be subject to additional fines of $100,000 per day up to $500,000 if it fails to do so.
CNBC has reached out to Dollar General for additional comment.