BOSTON – Leaders of the U.S. Department of Labor convened yesterday in Boston for a roundtable discussion on the importance of mental health friendly workplaces, particularly in the building trades. The event was held at the Iron Workers Local 7 Union Hall.

BRECKENRIDGE, CO – The owner of an Avon construction company whose failure to follow required federal safety standards led to the 2021 trench collapse death of a 23-year-old employee in Breckenridge now awaits a November sentencing date after pleading guilty to manslaughter on Aug. 3, 2023.

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

Career Technical Education Center in Idaho Falls

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to revise regulations regarding who can be authorized by employees to act as their representative to accompany the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance officers during physical workplace inspections.

SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, along with the Consulate of Mexico in San Antonio, hosted an outreach event for low-wage and at-risk workers and their advocates Aug. 29, 2023, at the Mexican Consulate in San Antonio as part of Labor Rights Week, August 28, through September 1.

AUBREY, TX – A federal workplace safety investigation has found that a Farmersville construction contractor could have prevented the loss of a 23-year-old employee by following required safety procedures for operating a mobile crane at an Aubrey work site.

FOSTORIA, OH – An Ohio-based vinyl tile manufacturer with a history of failing to protect workers from hazards at its Fostoria plant dating back to 2017, now faces an additional $545,853 in federal penalties after investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor.

BOSTON – In early June 2022, an employee of a Vermont company that sells and services agricultural equipment observed their employer pumping wastewater from the facility’s service bays onto the ground bordering the Winooski River in Berlin. The employee reported their concerns about the potential harm to the river, first to supervisors and then to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit in federal court to force a Waukegan roofing contractor to pay $360,531 in penalties for repeatedly exposing employees to falls from elevations, the leading cause of fatal injuries in the construction industry.

BISMARCK, ND – A federal whistleblower investigation has found the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality illegally retaliated against an environmental scientist after they reported safety concerns about the public water system to management and later contacted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has entered into a corporate-wide settlement agreement with the operators of one of the nation’s largest discount retail chains to improve workplace safety significantly in stores nationwide. A key pillar of President Biden’s plan — Bidenomics — is empowering to grow the middle class.

ECLECTIC, AL ‒ The Texas-based operator of an Eclectic manufacturing facility could have prevented a 20-year-old worker from suffering an amputation if the employer had followed required federal safety standards, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation determined.

WASHINGTON, MO – Twice within two months in 2023, U.S. Department of Labor inspectors observed Cheltenham Construction Services — a contractor with a history of workplace safety violations dating back to 2015 — once again exposing employees to deadly fall hazards as they performed siding and roofing work in Lake St. Louis and O’Fallon.

SAN ANTONIO – A federal investigation has found that a San Antonio wire drawing company could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries by following required workplace safety standards.

TYLER, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against Tyler Pipe Company alleging violations of federal whistleblower protections after the company fired an employee because they requested to use a respirator to protect them from smoke and fumes in the work area.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an agreement with Rite Aid Corp. to implement a program to better protect employees, including front-end customer service staff, against hazards related to bloodborne pathogens at all its approximately 370 stores in New Jersey and New York.

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

Department of Labor’s OSHA Onsite Consultation Division

NEENAH, WI – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation into an employee’s amputation injury at a Neenah manufacturing plant in February 2023 found one of the nation’s oldest and most recognized companies again failed to follow required safety procedures.

NATCHEZ, MS – Federal workplace safety inspectors have determined that one of the nation’s leading cement manufacturers could have prevented a 50-year-old employee from drowning after falling from a barge into the Mississippi River in February 2023.

LITTLE ROCK, AR – A federal workplace safety investigation determined that 39-year-old employee of a south Arkansas timberland and sawmill facility suffered fatal injuries from an automated lumber stacking machine at its Bearden location.