Discount store chain Dollar General has been fined $12 million over workplace safety violations brought by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The company was charged for repeated unsafe storage practices that blocked access to emergency exits, electrical panels and fire extinguishers. The chain also stored merchandise in a haphazard way, posing a high risk of injuries from falling items. 

Aside from the penalty, Dollar General must implement several measures to improve store safety, including reducing inventory, increasing stocking efficiency, hiring more safety managers and establishing a safety and health committee.

The retailer must also sign a third-party consultant to identify in-store hazards and an auditor to perform an annual safety assessment.

“This agreement commits Dollar General to make worker safety a priority by implementing significant and systematic changes in its operations to improve accountability and compliance,” Douglas Parker, an OSHA official, said in a statement.

“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.”