Dollar General Corporation

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a corporate-wide settlement with Dollar General and its retail subsidiaries in July 2024 resolving numerous federal workplace-safety enforcement matters. The settlement followed repeated OSHA inspections concerning hazardous conditions at Dollar General stores. The Department of Labor said the agreement resolved existing contested and open federal OSHA inspections involving alleged violations including blocked emergency exits, blocked electrical panels, inaccessible fire extinguishers and unsafe storage of merchandise. A Department of Labor enforcement report subsequently described the agreement as resolving more than 90 pending cases involving hazards caused by excess inventory. Unsafe inventory storage could obstruct emergency exits, electrical panels and fire extinguishers, creating risks to employees during emergencies. Dollar General agreed to pay $12 million in penalties. The company also agreed to implement significant corporate-wide workplace-safety reforms. These included establishing and maintaining an expanded safety structure and safety-and-health management system, hiring additional safety managers, reducing inventory, improving stocking practices and providing additional safety training. Dollar General was also required to maintain mechanisms allowing employees to participate in workplace-safety efforts. The agreement requires the company to correct certain future hazards, generally within 48 hours after receiving OSHA notification. Failure to timely correct covered hazards can result in monetary assessments of $100,000 per day, up to $500,000, as well as additional OSHA inspections and enforcement actions. Dollar General also retained a third-party consultant and independent auditor and created a Safety Operations Center designed to detect hazards and support safety performance. Primary sources: U.S. Department of Labor — Department announces settlement with Dollar General requiring corporate-wide safety investments: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20240711-1 U.S. Department of Labor — FY2024 Enforcement Report: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/SOL/reports/SOL2024FY-Enforcement-Report.pdf