April 14, 2016

Call center provider to pay $150K in back wages for misclassifying hundreds of employees as independent contractors – denying minimum wage, overtime

Employer: ViaSource Solutions Inc., formerly INW Contact LLC, a call-center provider to businesses that market products on television infomercials

Location: 223 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 222, Thousand Oaks, California

April 14, 2016

OSHA finds Cooper Hospital exposed employees to needle-stick injuries, bloodborne pathogen hazards

Employer’s name: Cooper University Hospital

Inspection site: One Cooper Plaza, Camden, New Jersey

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Cooper Hospital for nine serious and six other-than-serious  safety and health violations.

April 14, 2016

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending April 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 253,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 267,000 to 266,000. The 4-week moving average was 265,000, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 250 from 266,750 to 266,500.

April 13, 2016

Department files suit to appoint independent fiduciary to distribute $753K in 401(k) assets of defunct New Jersey marketing company

Date of Action: April 13, 2016

Name(s) of Defendants: Interactive Marketing Group Inc. 401(k) Profit-Sharing Plan

April 12, 2016

Struck-by, amputation hazards to Houston workers lead OSHA to levy $172K in fines against Alfa Laval, global manufacturer

Employer name: Alfa Laval Inc., global manufacturer of technologies in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling

Inspection Site: 12249-B FM 529, Houston, Texas

Citations issued: April 11, 2016

April 12, 2016

Five times in one year, Jasper Contractors expose workers to dangerous falls, other workplace violations

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Recent federal inspections of Florida construction sites finds Jasper Contractors Inc., a Georgia-based roofing company, is continuing its seven-year history of ignoring safety and health laws and putting workers at risk of serious injury or death.

April 12, 2016

OSHA fines humanitarian relief company in Lubbock after amputation

Employer name: Breedlove Foods Inc.

Location: 1818 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., Lubbock, Texas

Date Citation Issued: April 12, 2016

April 12, 2016

OSHA finds dozen violations at Becton, Dickinson and Co. in Holdrege after two workers suffer finger amputations

HOLDREGE, Neb. ‒ After two workers suffered partial amputations of their index fingers in separate incidents in October 2015, federal investigators found numerous machines lacked safety guards at the Holdrege facility of Becton, Dickinson and Company, a global medical technology company.

April 11, 2016

OSHA clarifies maritime offshore reporting requirements

PORTLAND, OREGON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminds employers that the agency covers safety and health conditions not specifically covered by the U.S. Coast Guard on all vessels within three nautical miles of shore. 

April 11, 2016

US Labor Department sues Maryland construction contractor to recover unpaid contributions to employees’ 401(k) profit-sharing plan

Date of Action: April 1, 2016

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendants: Carlos R. Calderon
C.R. Calderon Construction Inc.
Contractors and Employees 401(k) Profit-Sharing Plan

April 11, 2016

Merced County adult residential care provider to pay $43K in back wages

Employer: C and D’s Guest Homes, Inc., provider of residential care services for adults with developmental disabilities, doing business as C and D’s Guest Home and New Horizon’s Residential

April 11, 2016

Iowa postal distribution center exposes workers to forklift injuries

Employer name: U.S. Postal Service Network Distribution Center, 4000 109th St., Urbandale, Iowa         

Citations issued: April 6, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration's

April 11, 2016

Dauphin County plumbing, heating worker hospitalized after trench cave-in

Employer name: Williamson Plumbing and Heating Inc., doing business as Roto-Rooter Services Co., 4197 East Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, Pennsylvania   

Site: 1857 Pebble Court, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

April 11, 2016

Painting contractor willfully exposed workers to lead on Danville worksite

Employer name: V&T Painting LLC, 29585 Gramercy Court, Farmington Hills, Michigan

Site: Danville Borough Municipal Authority Storage Site, Reservoir Street, Danville, Pennsylvania

April 8, 2016

OSHA fines Louisiana food manufacturer $124K for chemical, electrical and other hazards after evacuation sends workers to hospital

BATON ROUGE, La. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Louisiana food manufacturing company for 25 serious and one other violation for exposing workers to hazardous chemicals, electrical dangers and fall hazards.

OSHA discovered the violations after an inspection of the Madisonville facility operated by Diversified Foods and Seasonings LLC. The agency inspected the plant after an evacuation of the facility sent workers to the hospital as a precaution on Oct. 16, 2015.

April 8, 2016

Blocked emergency exit, improperly stored stock pose hazards for Guess? store employees at Foxwoods Casino

HARTFORD, Conn.  – A blocked emergency exit and improperly stored stock put the employees of the Guess? Factory Store at the Tanger Outlet Mall at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket at risk of burns, lacerations and being struck by falling objects, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

Responding to a complaint, OSHA began an inspection on March 3, 2016, and found the employer allowed the following hazardous conditions:

April 7, 2016

San Francisco-based real estate operator pays more than $110K in back wages, damages, penalties after investigation finds repeated overtime violations

Employer: Litke Investments LLC, a San Francisco-based real estate investment enterprise, acquires, maintains and manages hotels and residential apartments.

Sites: Numerous hotels and apartments operating under various legal and trade names in California, Texas, Oregon and North Dakota.

Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found Litke Investments:

April 7, 2016

Contractor continues to expose workers to serious fall hazards

Employer name: Winesburg Builders LTD, 6834 County Road 672, Millersburg, Ohio

Inspection site: Anchors Cove, Big Chimney, West Virginia

April 7, 2016

Berlin Builders faces $387K in OSHA fines for continually ignoring life-threatening dangers at Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey sites

CINAMINSON, N.J. – Berlin Builders, a residential construction contractor with projects in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, continues to expose its workers to dangerous falls on job sites by ignoring safety standards required by law, federal regulators say.