July 22, 2021

US Department of Labor cites Mobile dredging equipment manufacturer after investigation into 22-year-old worker’s death

MOBILE, AL – On Jan. 27, a 22-year-old apprentice atop a crane bridge 30 feet in the air suffered fatal injuries when he became caught in a crane trolley’s drive shaft, a tragedy that federal inspectors say could have been prevented.                      

July 20, 2021

Bergen County roofing contractor violates agreement to protect its workers, faces more than $600K in penalties

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – A Bergen County contractor who agreed to make safety improvements after federal safety inspections in 2019 identified nine violations with proposed penalties of $121,687 has instead violated its settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor. Following inspections in 2020 and 2021, the company now faces $600,741 in penalties for 10 more violations.

July 19, 2021

Federal inspection finds El Paso metal stamping manufacturer willfully exposed workers to amputation dangers; worker suffers severe injury

EL PASO, TX – An El Paso metal stamping manufacturer with a history of workplace safety violations failed again to protect its workers from the dangers of moving machine parts. As a result, a worker suffered the amputation of two fingers inside a 500-ton hydraulic press.  

July 19, 2021

US Department of Labor cites three employers for exposing workers, residents to asbestos at Missouri residential care facility

MONETT, MO – Three employers at a Missouri residential nursing facility exposed workers and residents to asbestos hazards and failed to ensure safe removal of the known carcinogen during a flooring replacement project, a federal workplace safety inspection alleges.

July 16, 2021

Federal court orders Chicago-area company to pay whistleblower $95K in back wages after US Department of Labor investigation

NORTHBROOK, IL – A federal court has approved the settlement of a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration whistleblower investigation that determined a Northbrook waste management company violated federal law when it retaliated against a former truck driver who reported a workplace injury and raised concerns to the company that an unrepaired truck was unsafe to operate.

July 15, 2021

Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. recuerda a los empleadores del Pacífico Noroeste que protejan a los trabajadores contra los peligros del calor

SEATTLE – Con la subida de las temperaturas en Washington, Oregón y Idaho, la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. recuerda a los empleadores que protejan a sus trabajadores expuestos a temperaturas de calor extremo.

El mensaje de OSHA es básico: Agua. Descanso. Sombra. Para proteger a sus trabajadores, los empleadores deben:

July 15, 2021

Colorado court sentences Avon construction company owner to jail, orders restitution for family of worker killed in Granby trench collapse

AVON, CO – A Colorado state court has sentenced the owner of an Avon construction company to jail and ordered restitution for the family of a 50-year-old company worker who suffered fatal injuries in a preventable trench collapse at a Granby work site in June 2018.

July 15, 2021

US Department of Labor reminds Pacific Northwest employers to protect workers from the dangers of heat illness

SEATTLE – As temperatures rise in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminds employers to protect their employees when they work in hot weather.

OSHA’s message is simple: Water. Rest. Shade. To protect their employees, employers should:

July 15, 2021

US Department of Labor files suit against North Texas dental practice, owners for retaliation against employees who reported coronavirus concerns

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor has taken legal action against two North Texas dentists on behalf of a dental hygienist and a dental assistant who were not reinstated after expressing concerns about what coronavirus safety measures would be in place when the practice reopened in spring 2020.  

July 14, 2021

US Department of Labor cites contractor after investigation into fatal Huntsville trench collapse finds willful, serious safety failures

HUNTSVILLE, ALOn Jan. 15 an employee of a Huntsville contracting company entered a trench greater than 5 feet in depth to work on underground utility pipes.

July 13, 2021

Milwaukee metal fabricating facility cited for failing to implement hearing conservation, machine safety programs

MILWAUKEE – Despite two 2020 inspections that identified dangerous machine and noise hazards, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found a Milwaukee metal fabricating facility continues to put its workers’ safety and health at risk.

July 12, 2021

OSHA signs alliance with Ohio Agribusiness Association to train, protect workers from grain handling hazards

CHICAGO – To combat the dangers workers face in grain handling, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Ohio On-Site Consultation Program, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the Ohio Agribusiness Association signed an alliance on July 9, 2021.

July 12, 2021

Recognizing anniversary of worker’s death, US Department of Labor urges western New Yorkers to safeguard against hot weather hazards

BUFFALO – On July 7, 2020, 35-year-old Timothy Barber collapsed at the end of his shift after working on the Genesee River Bridge Project in Geneseo. Treated for heat stress and heat exhaustion, he died from hyperthermia on his second day on the job.

July 8, 2021

US Department of Labor urges workers, employers and public to be aware of hazards after Tropical Storm Elsa

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges response crews and residents to recognize the hazards created by flooding, power loss, structural damage, fallen trees and storm debris in areas affected by Tropical Storm Elsa.

July 1, 2021

US Department of Labor orders CSX Transportation Inc. to pay worker who raised safety concerns nearly $222K in back wages, damages

NEW ORLEANS – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found that CSX Transportation violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act and demonstrated a pattern of retaliation after firing a worker in December 2019 for reporting safety concerns. OSHA ordered the company to pay $71,976 in back wages, interest, and damages, and $150,000 in punitive damages.

June 30, 2021

US Department of Labor finds Oaks Integrated Care failed to protect workers from coronavirus exposure at two New Jersey facilities

MOUNT HOLLY, NJ – Following a coronavirus outbreak in March that led to the deaths of two workers, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that a Mount Holly-based healthcare provider failed to implement a required coronavirus prevention program at two of its locations.

June 29, 2021

US Department of Labor cites grain facility for workplace safety failures following dust explosion that severely injured worker

ADRIAN, MO – Had MFA Enterprises Inc. – operating as West Central Agri Services – addressed potential dust ignition sources, an explosion that seriously injured an employee and caused the destruction of the main elevator at an Adrian grain loading facility might not have happened. OSHA cited the grain-handling facility for one willful and six serious safety violations, and proposed penalties of $215,525.

June 28, 2021

US Department of Labor sues Pennsylvania manufacturing company, owner for firing employee in retaliation for reporting safety concerns

PLAINS TOWNSHIP, PA The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against a Luzerne County paper products manufacturing company and its owner after they fired a worker for raising safety concerns and asking several times for safety gloves to operate a shredder and baler. Prior to the employee suffering injury while operating the machine, their supervisor denied multiple requests for protective equipment.

June 28, 2021

US Department of Labor orders Lansing chemical manufacturer to reinstate whistleblower who questioned accounting practices

LANSING, MI – After an account manager continually expressed concerns and objections about a proposed accounting practice they believed to be illegal, Equistar Chemicals L.P. in Lansing placed the account manager on a performance improvement program and, ultimately, fired them.

June 24, 2021

US Department of Labor announces availability of more than $21M in grants for training on workplace hazards, infectious diseases

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced funding opportunities for more than $21 million in Occupational Safety and Health Administration training grants for non-profit organizations.