COFFEEN, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited U.S. Minerals LLC with willfully exposing its workers to dangerously high levels of hazardous dust, and not providing adequate breathing protection and training for workers at its facility in Coffeen. The company, headquartered in Dyer, Ind., has been issued a total of 28 health and safety citations with proposed penalties of $396,000.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced that it is extending by 90 days the official comment period on the proposed interpretation titled "Interpretation of OSHA's Provisions for Feasible Administrative or Engineering Controls of Occupational Noise," which was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 19. Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments by March 21, 2011.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics today announced that the number of reported nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases that required days away from work to recuperate decreased by nine percent to 1,238,490 cases in 2009 for private industry, state government and local government. Additionally, BLS reported that the total incidence rate decreased by 5 percent to 117 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is encouraging CEOs of 14 major retail companies to take precautions to prevent worker injuries during Black Friday and the holiday season's other major sales events. Toward that end, OSHA has sent a letter and fact sheet on "Crowd Management Safety Tips for Retailers" to the CEOs.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 54 workplace safety and health citations with penalties totaling $1.2 million to gun powder substitute manufacturer Black Mag LLC, following an investigation into the causes of a deadly explosion in May at the company's worksite in Colebrook, N.H. The explosion took the lives of two workers who had been on the job for only a month.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics today announced that nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses among private industry employers declined in 2009 to a rate of 3.6 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, down from a total case rate of 3.9 in 2008. BLS also reported a decline in the total number of cases from 3.7 million in 2008 to 3.3 million in 2009. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON – In conjunction with Drive Safely Work Week, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced an education campaign calling on employers to prevent work-related distracted driving, with a special focus on prohibiting texting while driving.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced that it has concluded a special evaluation of state-run occupational safety and health programs under its jurisdiction. Enhanced Federal Annual Monitoring and Evaluation reports provide detailed findings and recommendations on the operations of state-run OSHA programs in 25 states and territories.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today awarded $2.75 million in Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grants to 16 organizations, including nonprofit and community/faith-based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, and colleges and universities.

WASHINGTON – Because motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of worker fatalities, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation to combat distracted driving.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Government Accountability Office today issued a report titled, "Whistleblower Protection: Sustained Management Attention Needed to Address Long-standing Program Weaknesses." In response, Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels, issued the following statement:

"OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program exists because of a decades-old belief held by Congress, stakeholders, employers and society, that whistleblowers play an essential role in protecting workers and the public.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today awarded $8 million in Susan Harwood Capacity Building Grants to 45 organizations, including nonprofit and community/faith-based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, and colleges and universities. The grants will assist these organizations in providing safety and health training, and educational programs for workers and employers.

PHENIX CITY, Ala. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited MDLG, doing business as Phenix Lumber Co., for 53 safety and health violations following the death of one worker and the critical injury of a second at its Phenix City facility. Proposed penalties total $439,400.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been petitioned by Public Citizen, a national advocacy organization, as well as other groups and individuals, to issue regulations that would limit the work hours of resident physicians. In response to the request, the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, Dr. David Michaels, today issued the following statement:

BLANDON, Pa. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations to Kief Industries Inc., doing business as Excelsior Brass Works. The citations allege the company knowingly exposed workers to lead hazards and violated federal workplace safety and health standards at its Blandon facility. Proposed penalties total $550,400.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today fined Whitesell Corp. $3,071,500 and cited the company with 72 safety and health violations for exposing workers to amputation hazards and other problems at its manufacturing plants in Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals, Ala.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published interim final rules that will help protect workers who voice safety, health and security concerns. The regulations, which establish procedures for handling worker retaliation complaints, allow filing by phone as well as in writing and filing in languages other than English.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued Goodman Manufacturing Co. LP 83 willful citations for failing to record and improperly recording work-related injuries and illnesses at the company's Houston air conditioning cooling facility. Proposed penalties total $1,215,000.

ORLANDO, Fla. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited SeaWorld of Florida LLC for three safety violations, including one classified as willful, following the death of an animal trainer in February. The total penalty is $75,000.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations to E.N. Range Inc. in Miami, Fla., alleging the company knowingly neglected to protect employees who clean gun ranges from serious overexposure to lead. It also provided, without medical supervision, non-FDA-approved treatments for lead exposure. The company was cited for more than 50 violations of the lead standard and others, with total proposed penalties of $2,099,600.