PALOS PARK, IL – A federal workplace safety investigation has found that a metro-Chicago carpentry contractor with a long history of exposing employees to potentially deadly hazards again ignored regulations to protect workers from falls.

Date of action:                       Aug. 6, 2024

Type of action:                      Decision and order 

ALBANY, NY – After receiving citations requiring it to correct existing fall hazards at its Chester warehouse, and paying $17,403 in penalties, Adidas America Inc. - maker of one of the world’s best-selling sneakers - now faces an additional $396,377 in penalties for continuing to ignore U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety standards.

JACKSONVILLE, TX – Despite receiving warnings and citations for more than a decade, a Jacksonville pallet manufacturer’s history of failing to protect employees from the risk of amputation continues, a U.S. Department of Labor follow-up inspection has found. 

OKLAHOMA CITY - An Edmond contractor with a history of workplace safety violations dating back to 2018, including three related to the dangers in underground trenches, was found disregarding U.S. Department of Labor regulations.

EL PASO, TX – An El Paso contractor could have prevented a 37-year-old employee from suffering fatal injuries in February 2024 by following federally required safety standards to avoid trench collapses, the same failure for which the U.S.

BOISE, ID – A federal workplace safety investigation into the fatal injury of three workers and injuries to at least eight others, after an airport hangar collapsed near the Boise Airport in January 2024, found the building contractor ignored standard safety procedures and visible warning signs during construction.

RIVER GROVE, IL – Two federal workplace safety investigations have found a Chicago-area framing contractor - already facing debt collection for more than $100,000 in fines for violations identified in 2022 - continuing to expose employees to deadly fall hazards and defying the U.S. Department of Labor’s requests for documents and information related to the contractor’s business and workers safety and health.

NORFOLK, VA – As part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor, Maersk Line Limited - one of the world’s largest marine cargo services providers - will change its safety reporting policies and compensate a seaman the company terminated after they reported safety concerns to the U.S. Coast Guard without first notifying their employer.

PERRYSBURG, OH – Twice in less than two weeks, federal workplace safety inspectors found an Indiana contractor exposing employees to deadly risks of falls from elevation while they did framing work at two homes under construction in Perrysburg. 

BAYVILLE, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a New Jersey water tower painting company for three willful and 19 serious violations after finding the contractor failed to provide or install required safety equipment that would have prevented an employee from falling 80 feet to the bottom of a Bayville water tower and suffering severe injuries in January 2024.

DANVILLE, IL ‒ The U.S.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – For the second time in five years, the U.S. Department of Labor has found a Winter Haven contractor allowed employees to do roof work without adequate protection exposing workers to falls, one of the construction industry’s deadliest hazards.            

LISBON, WI ‒ The operators of a global ink and coatings manufacturing company could have prevented an employee at its Lisbon facility from suffering burn injuries from a flash fire that erupted in an industrial mixing vessel containing flammable liquids and vapors by following federal regulations for handling of highly hazardous chemicals, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found.

FRANKSVILLE, WI ‒ Had John’s Disposal Service Inc. and John’s Recycling Inc. in Franksville followed federal safety standards, a temporary maintenance worker might not have suffered severe injuries when their jacket sleeve was pulled into an engine as they serviced a vehicle in January 2024. 

SEATTLE – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgement from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma that includes a landmark injunction that permanently prevents the U.S. Postal Service from retaliating against employees at up to 59 locations in the State of Washington. 

AUSTIN, TX – While one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of commercial flooring and surfaces — including recycled rubber products used throughout the nation in playgrounds, fitness centers and sports fields — touts its products’ safety and environmental benefits, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found the company less committed to protecting its own employees.

SAVOY, IL – Federal workplace safety inspectors have cited an Illinois construction contractor for again exposing employees to falls from elevation — the industry’s leading cause of injury and death — as they did residential framing work, this time at four subdivisions under construction in Mahomet and Savoy in January, March and May 2024. 

EL PASO, TX – Two years after the U.S. Department of Labor added Kyoei Steel LTD to its program for severe violators of federal safety and health regulations, inspectors returned for a follow-up inspection at the Vinton steel fabrication and recycling facility and again found the company endangering its workers.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has entered into a corporate-wide settlement with Dollar General and its retail subsidiaries to make significant workplace safety improvements in stores nationwide.