Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-3-408: Payment of penalties - Action to recover

All penalties owed under this chapter shall be paid to the commissioner for deposit into the state treasury in the general fund and shall be earmarked for expenditure solely for use in the division of occupational safety and health equally between enforcement activities and the safety consulting service conducted under this chapter, and may be recovered in a civil action in the name of the state, in the county where the violation is alleged to have occurred or where the employer has its principal office.