March 27, 2023

US Department of Labor, Grain and Feed Association of Illinois renew alliance to address common hazards in the grain-handling industry

Who:             U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

                        Grain and Feed Association of Illinois

What:             OSHA alliance renewal

March 27, 2023

US Department of Labor, industry leaders focus on small steps for big safety impact during 2023 Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week, March 27-31

WASHINGTON ‒ Once inside a grain storage bin, a worker can find themselves engulfed or trapped by flowing grain in just seconds. In 2021, 38 percent of reported grain engulfments turned deadly because required safeguards were not followed.

Concerted efforts by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, state workplace safety officials and industry stakeholders helped to reduce the rate of fatal engulfments by 17 percent from 2020 to 2021.

March 27, 2023

Court requires Austin auto dealership to pay $15K in damages to employee fired in 2020 after raising COVID-19 safety concerns

AUSTIN, TX – When an employee of a luxury auto dealership in Austin learned a co-worker had tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020, they alerted the company’s management and requested they notify other employees immediately of their exposure risk.

After the dealership failed to act, the employee emailed all company employees about the potential hazards. Less than an hour later, the car dealer terminated the employee.

March 24, 2023

US Department of Labor finds lawn service contractor ignored safety standards, allowed workers to operate riding mowers dangerously at Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, KY – A federal workplace safety inspection of a lawn service contractors’ operations at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has found the company ignored safety requirements to save time, including removing safety guards on industrial lawnmowers.

March 21, 2023

US Department of Labor, Power Generation Workgroup alliance promotes importance of safety for workers

On March 10, 2023, Luminant’s Voluntary Protection Program Coordinator Alexander Miller; OSHA Regional Administrator Jennifer Rous; and Onward Energy’s Corporate Safety Director Kelli Heflin signed an alliance agreement to promote workplace safety and health for people working near high voltage.
On March 10, 2023, Luminant’s Voluntary Protection Program Coordinator Alexander Miller; OSHA Regional Administrator Jennifer Rous; and Onward Energy’s Corporate Safety Dire

March 21, 2023

US Department of Labor certifies Maine’s completion of developmental steps of occupational safety, health plan for state, local government workers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has certified the completion of all structural and developmental aspects of Maine’s State Plan for protecting the safety and health of state and local government workers.

March 17, 2023

Investigations by Department of Labor, Vernon Police lead to first-degree manslaughter charges in Connecticut trench fatality

Incident:          Fatal trench collapse in Vernon, Connecticut

Date:                July 22, 2022

March 16, 2023

Federal investigation orders church to pay back wages, reinstate employee fired for raising concerns about rodents, insects in childcare center

DALLAS – After a nutrition specialist employed at a Dallas childcare facility raised concerns about rodents, spiders and other insects in its cafeteria, kitchen and other areas, their employer acted far from charitably and terminated the worker in August 2021.

After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

March 15, 2023

US Department of Labor finds oil, gas waste company failed to protect workers from dangers of inhalation after employee suffers fatal injury

EL PASO, TX – Federal investigators found an oil and gas company employee suffered fatal exposure to hydrogen sulfide while working near a sump pit in September 2022.

March 13, 2023

Low-cost, higher risk: Dollar General inspections in Florida, Georgia find employees exposed to blocked emergency exits, other dangers

ATLANTA – While it portrays its store chain as “America’s neighborhood general store,” Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC – one of the nation’s largest discount retailers – continues to expose workers to unsafe conditions, this time at four Florida and Georgia stores. 

March 10, 2023

Without adequate safety gear, Nebraska grain handler fatally suffocated after being engulfed in corn silo; company faces $531K in penalties

ROSELAND, NE A 34-year-old worker’s attempt to clean out a Roseland grain silo, in preparation for fall harvest, turned tragic on Sept. 12, 2022, when corn engulfed and asphyxiated him.

March 10, 2023

Federal safety investigators find Mobile contractor ignored safety warnings that might have prevented 28-year-old employee’s death aboard Panama City vessel

PANAMA CITY, FL – Federal workplace safety inspectors examining how thousands of pounds of shifting cargo fatally crushed a 28-year-old worker in a ship’s cargo hold in Panama City found his employer failed to follow required safety standards, including allowing unsafe operation of cargo cranes and not providing training.

March 10, 2023

Not Child’s Work: Department of Labor finds Florida roofing contractor’s work practices endangered minor, jeopardized workers’ safety, full wages

ORLANDO, FL – It’s likely that the decisions Juan Felipe Gomez Toro made one day in February 2022 turned out to be more costly to his Lake Mary roofing contracting company than he might have imagined.