March 1, 2021

US Department of Labor orders Oklahoma roofing, building products’ company to reinstate, pay damages to whistleblowers

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two truck drivers for an Oklahoma City roofing and building products company reported to a manager that the tires on a company truck were unsafe. Concerned about their own safety and that of others on the road, the two drivers refused to operate vehicles with unsafe tires. They were terminated in August 2020.

February 26, 2021

OSHA cites West Farmington contractor after 14-year-old installing roofing materials suffers critical injuries in fall

WEST FARMINGTON, OH – A 14-year-old boy working on the roof of a Berea townhome without required fall protection suffered critical injuries when he fell 20-feet to the ground. Immediately following this serious incident, the company’s owner and three other workers put on personal fall arrest equipment to complete the roofing work in an apparent attempt to conceal the fact that fall protection was not in use at the time of the injury.

February 26, 2021

OSHA finds workers on unprotected 3-story roof, cites Ohio contractor for exposing workers to fall hazards

CANTON, OH – Three stories above ground, five workers moved unsteadily atop a Canton apartment building, all of them at risk of a serious or fatal fall because, once again, their employer failed to ensure they used required safety equipment to protect them from falling. Ivan Lowky – their employer – was also working on the roof without necessary fall protection despite having the equipment available.

February 25, 2021

US Department of Labor collaborates with Brasfield & Gorrie to promote workplace safety at Florida construction site

PENSACOLA, FL The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has signed a strategic partnership with Brasfield & Gorrie to promote worker safety and health at the Baptist Health Care Corp.’s Brent Lane Hospital project in Pensacola. The University of South Florida On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program will also support this effort.

February 25, 2021

OSHA signs alliance with South Dakota One Call, SDSU Engineering Extension Program to train, protect workers from excavation hazards

SIOUX FALLS, SD – To combat the dangers workers face in trenching operations, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the South Dakota State University Engineering Extension Program and the South Dakota One Call Notification Board signed an alliance on Feb. 19, 2021, to train workers on excavation hazards.

February 23, 2021

OSHA cites Missouri auto parts manufacturer for failing to implement, enforce coronavirus protections as exposure leads to press operator’s death

GRANDVIEW, MO – Two machine operators at a Grandview auto parts manufacturer who jointly operated a press tested positive for the coronavirus just two days apart, in late August 2020. The two workers typically labored for hours at a time less than two feet apart; neither wore a protective facial mask consistently. Ten days later, two more workers operating similar presses together tested positive. On Sept. 19, 2020, one of the press operators fell victim to the virus and died.

February 23, 2021

OSHA, Consulate General of Ecuador establish alliance to train Chicago-area Ecuadorian workers, protect them from job hazards

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Consulate General of Ecuador in Chicago have signed a two-year alliance to promote workplace safety and health, and share information on U.S. laws and standards, including those relating to workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

February 22, 2021

OSHA recognizes Buckeye oil, gas industry organization as Alliance Program Ambassador for its commitment to workplace safety, health

COLUMBUS, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has conferred Alliance Program Ambassador status on Buckeye Service, Transmission, Exploration and Production Safety Network in recognition of the organization’s collaborative relationship with OSHA and its commitment to addressing safety and health hazards in Ohio’s oil and gas industry.

February 19, 2021

US Department of Labor announces OSHA will investigate complaints of whistleblower retaliation under new antitrust, money laundering laws

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now overseeing worker retaliation complaints filed under two new whistleblower statutes – the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

February 17, 2021

US Department of Labor proposes $264K in fines for Montana manufacturer, staffing agency for serious, willful violations following finger amputation

BILLINGS, MT – When OSHA inspectors arrived at Western Bee Supply Inc. in Polson to investigate a recent incident that resulted in a partial finger amputation, they found a workplace with unguarded saw blades, rotating machinery, belts, pulleys and chains.

February 17, 2021

OSHA alleges Missouri plumbing contractor exposed worker to unprotected trench despite agreement to implement trench safety program

OAK GROVE, MO – Barely two years after Arrow Plumbing LLC agreed to adopt a comprehensive trench safety program following the December 2016 death of an employee in an unprotected trench, federal inspectors responding to a complaint in August 2020 found another of the company’s employees working at least 7-feet below ground in an unprotected trench in Grain Valley.

February 10, 2021

US Department of Labor cites Trinity Rail and Maintenance Services for confined space violations in August 2020 fatality investigation

HUGO, OK – A U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation has found a Hugo rail car products and services provider did not follow federal safety standards for working in confined spaces after two workers died from inhaling toxic fumes.

January 29, 2021

US Department of Labor issues stronger workplace guidance on coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers implement a coronavirus prevention program and better identify risks which could lead to exposure and contraction. Last week, President Biden directed OSHA to release clear guidance for employers to help keep workers safe from COVID-19 exposure.

January 12, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Elevates Lehigh Valley Committee to Alliance Program Ambassador Status to Promote Workplace Safety and Health

ALLENTOWN, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) elevated its longstanding alliance with the Lehigh Valley Safety Committee (LVSC), a consortium of organizations in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, to “ambassador” status at a virtual signing ceremony today.

January 8, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $3,930,381 In Coronavirus Violations

WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Dec. 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations arising from 300 inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $3,930,381.

OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations, including failures to:

December 31, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $3,849,222 In Coronavirus Violations

WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Dec. 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations arising from 295 inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $3,849,222.

OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations, including failures to:

December 30, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor and Consulate General of Mexico Renew Alliance to Promote Worker Safety in Colorado

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Consulate General of Mexico in Denver, Colorado, have renewed a two-year alliance to provide Mexican nationals with safety training and resources to educate them on their rights and employers’ responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

December 22, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Announces New OSHA Debt Collection Initiative

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced a new initiative designed to better collect citation penalties.

December 18, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $3,646,228 In Coronavirus Violations

WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Dec. 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations arising from 273 inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $3,646,228.

OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations, including failures to:

December 16, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Implements Inspection Program To Target Workplaces with Highest Injury and Illness Rates

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is updating its inspection program that directs agency enforcement resources to establishments with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses.