Dollar General to pay $12 million for alleged violations including blocking exits

Dollar General will pay $12 million and improve safety at its 20,000 stores nationwide to settle claims it put workers in danger with practices including blocking emergency exits, the Department of Labor said.

The discount retailer will have to significantly scale back its inventory and improve stocking to prevent unsafe storage that hinders exits and makes electrical panels and fire extinguishers inaccessible, the federal agency announced last last week.

"This agreement commits Dollar General to making worker safety a priority by implementing significant and systematic changes in its operations," Douglas Parker, assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, stated. "These changes help give peace of mind to thousands of workers."