June 2, 2022

Central New Jersey facility to pay $273K, take corrective actions to resolve COVID-related respirator violations

Date of action:

May 31, 2022

Type of action:

Stipulated settlement

Names of defendants:

Lakewood Resource and Referral Center Inc., operating as the Center for Education, Medicine and Dentistry in Lakewood, NJ

June 1, 2022

Bronx contractor whose worker suffered fatal fall to take corrective actions, pay $169K in penalties, after US Department of Labor investigation, litigation

Date of action:                       May 10, 2022

Type of action:                       Stipulated Settlement Agreement

May 24, 2022

US Department of Labor finds Encore Industries failed to use machine safety procedures leading to fatal injuries of production manager

CAMBRIDGE, OH – As a production manager attempted to clear plastic parts stuck in a thermoforming machine, he became trapped when the machine’s conveyor cycled automatically and was fatally crushed at a Cambridge plastics plant.

May 23, 2022

Illinois construction contractor continues to ignore deadly fall hazards, faces $263K in fines after Park Ridge inspection finds roofers exposed to risks

PARK RIDGE, IL – A Roselle contractor’s history of violating federal safety standards and ignoring safety citations and penalties – and a willingness to expose its workers to serious injuries or worse – continues, as federal inspectors found during their Nov. 8, 2021, investigation at a Park Ridge residential construction site.   

May 23, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Athens lumber manufacturer for ignoring required safety precautions after forklift fatally strikes worker

ATHENS, AL – A federal workplace safety investigation found an employer’s failure to follow federal safety standards contributed to a 45-year-old worker suffering fatal injuries after a forklift struck her as she walked across an Athens lumber shipping yard on Nov. 15, 2021.

May 17, 2022

US Department of Labor urges caution to avoid fall, electrical, other hazards during spring storm cleanup throughout South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, SD - After severe weather, such as the windstorm that roared across South Dakota on May 12, workers and others involved in storm cleanup may face hazards related to falls, downed power lines and sharp debris as they conduct recovery and cleanup operations.

Employers and workers should also be aware of heat illness and hazards from equipment used during response/recovery operations, such as chain saws.

May 17, 2022

US Department of Labor finds Breckenridge contractor willfully exposed workers to trench hazards after fatal cave-in

BRECKENRIDGE, CO – One worker suffered fatal injuries and two co-workers barely escaped similar fates when they were rescued from a trench that collapsed as they installed sewer pipes in a Breckenridge neighborhood on Nov. 16, 2021.

May 16, 2022

Grand jury indicts Didion Milling Inc., six managers on nine counts related to five deaths, numerous serious injuries in 2017 Cambria corn mill explosion

CAMBRIA, WI – A federal grand jury has indicted the operator and six management officials of a Cambria corn mill – where a May 31, 2017, explosion killed five workers and injured 15 others – on nine criminal counts, including two counts related to willful violations of federal workplace safety standards for grain handling.

May 13, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Continental Tire plant for multiple safety violations after 3 workers suffer severe injuries on consecutive days

MOUNT VERNON, IL In two separate incidents on consecutive days in November 2021, three workers at a southern Illinois tire plant suffered severe injuries in incidents associated with a mixer containing a combustible dust and a flammable gas, guarding moving equipment and the failure to implement and enforce procedures to control the unintentional energization of equipment during servicing.

May 12, 2022

US Department of Labor reminds Northeast employers that workers need protection from dangers of heat illness

BOSTON – As temperatures rise in New England, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminds employers and workers not to ignore the dangers of working in hot weather – indoors and out – and remember that “Water. Rest. Shade.” can be the difference between ending the workday safely or suffering serious injuries or worse.

May 11, 2022

Serial violator: South Dakota contractor faces serious and willful citations following 2 separate inspections for workers in unprotected trenches

SIOUX FALLS, SD – Twice in seven days, federal workplace safety inspectors found a Sioux Falls contractor put workers at risk of being buried under thousands of pounds of soil while they worked in unprotected trenches at two locations in Tea and Salem.

May 11, 2022

US Department of Labor reminds Southwest employers that workers need protection from the dangers of heat illness

DALLAS – As temperatures rise in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminds employers and workers not to ignore the dangers of working in hot weather – indoors and out – and remember “Water. Rest. Shade.” can be the difference between ending the workday safely or suffering serious injuries or worse.

May 10, 2022

US Department of Labor emphasis program to prevent hearing loss moves to enforcement phase begins May 17

DENVER – Following a 90-day outreach period, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Regional Emphasis Program for Noise Induced Hearing Loss will move into the enforcement phase beginning May 17, 2022. The emphasis program targets manufacturing industries with high rates of occupational hearing loss in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

May 9, 2022

US Department of Labor cites oil company after 3 workers suffer severe injuries in North Dakota well explosion

GRASSY BUTTE, ND – Federal workplace safety investigators determined that an oil company’s failure to take adequate safety precautions contributed to a drilling site explosion near Grassy Butte on Nov. 4, 2021, that permanently disabled one worker and left two others with serious injuries.

May 6, 2022

US Department of Labor, stakeholders sign partnership to train, protect workers from construction hazards at Wisconsin Center Expansion project

MILWAUKEE – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Wisconsin On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program, Gilbane Building Co., C.D. Smith Construction and labor unions are partnering to protect worker safety and health at the Wisconsin Center Expansion project in Milwaukee.

May 5, 2022

US Department of Labor cites 2 Georgia construction contractors after Yellow River bridge collapse takes worker’s life

COVINGTON, GA – A federal workplace safety investigation has determined that two companies failed to follow required safety standards that could have prevented a bridge collapse and spared the life of a 33-year-old worker on a demolition project in Covington on Oct. 19, 2021.

May 4, 2022

US Department of Labor renews ‘Star Level’ designation of Acushnet Company, Custom Operations for workplace safety, health achievements

Participant:   Acushnet Company, Custom Operations. New Bedford, Massachusetts

May 4, 2022

US Department of Labor issues willful citations to Edmond asphalt, concrete paving contractor after investigation into 18-year-old worker’s fatal injury

OKLAHOMA CITY – Federal workplace safety investigators found that a construction company’s failure to prevent sudden start-up of a conveyor system contributed to an 18-year-old worker’s fatal injuries after he was pulled into a hot asphalt silo as he tried to remove debris from the conveyor in Oklahoma City on Nov. 2, 2021.