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

What:             2024 Central Alabama Construction Safety Conference and Expo

When:             March 14, 2024

VINELAND, NJ – A Vineland subsidiary of Hanover Foods Corp., a prominent northeast food manufacturer, allowed workers to service and clean equipment without having procedures in place to stop machinery from starting unexpectedly, a recent federal investigation has found.

VALENCIA, PA – A federal investigation has determined a Valencia finishing company could have prevented a 46-year-old supervisor from suffering fatal injuries in September 2023 by following required safety standards.

BRAINTREE, MA — The Aug. 29, 2023, fatal injury of a forklift operator at Boston’s Logan International Airport may have been prevented if his employer, a Rochester, New York-based maintenance firm, had ensured proper safeguards for operating and maintaining forklifts, a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection has found.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited an Atlanta chemical manufacturer with a staggering 67 serious violations and a proposed penalty of $289,439 for exposing workers to a series of workplace dangers associated with chemicals and struck-by hazards.

LIBERAL, KS – Federal investigators determined a Liberal truck washing company failed to protect workers from hydrogen sulfide gas as they entered over-the-road tanker trailers to clean them out, causing one worker’s fatal injuries and hospitalizing two co-workers. 

MILLVILLE, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement to resolve litigation against a Pennsylvania manufacturer that followed a safety and health investigation. The investigation resulted in 17 affirmed violations of federal workplace safety standards at the Regal Industrial Corp. in Millville in 2022.

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ – A Robbinsville frozen food manufacturer with an extensive history of violating federal safety and health standards was cited again by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, after a worker suffered an amputation in August 2023.

The agency determined the company exposed workers to lockout/tagout hazards – where energy may be inadvertently released – and cited it for four willful, one repeat and three serious violations, amounting to a $551,719 penalty.

LAONA, WI ‒ A Wisconsin hardwood flooring manufacturer continues to ignore federal safety and health regulations and expose workers to multiple hazards at its Laona mill, federal inspectors found. 

MACON, GA – Federal safety investigators found a Macon plumbing contractor could have prevented a fatal trench collapse -- that claimed the life of a 20-year-old worker and hospitalized another worker -- by following required safety procedures. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration joined Restaurant Opportunities Centers United for a listening session with restaurant workers on the importance of protecting workers from extreme indoor heat in the workplace on Feb. 21, 2024.

AUBURN, AL – A Camp Hill electrical contractor could have prevented a 22-year-old electrician from incurring life-threatening arc flash burns by following safety procedures they knew were standard in the industry, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

SELMA, AL – U.S. Department of Labor safety investigators found a Selma brick manufacturer exposed workers to silica crystalline respiratory hazards that have the potential to lead to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease. 

PHENIX CITY, AL – A federal investigation into an August 2023 horrific fatal incident at a Phenix City sawmill revealed, for the second time in three years, that the employer could have prevented a tragedy by following required safety rules. 

COLUMBUS, GA – Six days after opening a complaint inspection at a Columbus auto parts manufacturer in August 2023, federal safety investigators learned that a 41-year-old maintenance technician at the site endured severe injuries from an electrical transformer explosion and opened a second investigation. 

OKLAHOMA CITY –The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an aeronautical parts manufacturer for exposing workers to nearly two dozen safety hazards following a complaint about a lax safety environment at the company’s plant in Catoosa. 

OSHA cited LMI Finishing Inc. – operating as Sonaca North America – for 23 serious violations of OSHA safety standards related to confined spaces, fall hazards and blocked exit routes.

OSHA inspectors found the employer did not: 

BRAINTREE, MA – A Framingham roofing contractor with a history of fall-related safety violations again exposed its employees to potentially fatal falls, this time to falls of up to 20 feet at a residential worksite in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood. 

MILLVILLE, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a steel fabrication business after finding the company willfully exposed workers to safety and health hazards at its Millville shop.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – A federal investigation into the death of a 39-year-old maintenance employee found that the two contractors responsible for the job site could have prevented the incident by communicating and following safety rules designed to prevent the unexpected startup of machinery.

ATLANTA – Experts from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will welcome thousands of students – from Georgia’s middle, high and tech schools – to the 2024 Construction Ready Career Expo in Atlanta. The event highlights the importance of on-the-job safety to the industry’s next generation of workers.