JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dollar General has agreed to pay a $12 million fine and improve safety conditions at its thousands of retail stores nationwide, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.
The fine came after reports of blocked emergency exits and unsafe storage practices.
Last year, News4JAX told you how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was investigating the store for possible workplace violations that could’ve been an issue during the deadly racially motivated attack that left three people dead.
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News4JAX spoke with several people who said that even though the changes are meant to improve safety conditions for workers, they feel like they also will improve conditions for shoppers.
Richard Collins is one of those shoppers. He has been shopping at Dollar General stores all over Jacksonville for years.
“My little foods and stuff that I need, shampoo,” Collins said.
He said one thing that’s similar in most of those stores is the cluttered aisles.
But that’ll soon change after the Department of Labor announced its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) entered a settlement with Dollar General, making the safety of employees a priority.
Some of the changes that Dollar General will implement include:
- Establishing a safety and health management system, and hiring safety managers
- Reducing inventory and increasing stocking areas to prevent blocked exits
News4JAX spoke with another Dollar General shopper about this topic, and while she didn’t want to speak on camera, she said it’ll be great when the company reduces inventory to prevent blocked exits and areas. That way—if anything severe happens like a shooting—not only can customers exit the store quickly, but so can she.
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However, this woman said she wants Dollar General to address more issues like people stealing from stores or having more staff in the store.
And Collins said he wants another thing addressed.
“Prices. Lowering them prices down some more,” Collins said.
News4JAX reached out to Dollar General to ask about this settlement and about the safety committee they’re required to create. A spokesperson sent the following statement:
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with OSHA to resolve these matters. We remain committed to ensuring a safe working environment for our employees and a pleasant shopping experience for our customers.”