February 9, 2024

US Department of Labor again cites Green Bay cleaning products manufacturer after worker suffers amputation, fines company $194K

GREEN BAY, WI – A federal investigation into how a Tufco LP employee’s fingertip was amputated in August 2023 determined that the Green Bay household cleaning products manufacturer violated federal regulations for the control of hazardous energy during service and maintenance tasks and failed to report the amputation injury, as required 

February 8, 2024

US Labor Department cites Melbourne crane service provider after investigation finds lack of safety protocols led to 34-year-old employee’s electrocution

PALM BAY, FL – U.S. Department of Labor safety investigators have found that a Melbourne rental crane service provider could have prevented the electrocution of a 34-year-old crane operator at a Palm Bay work site in August 2023 by ensuring required safety measures were in place and followed. 

February 7, 2024

US Department of Labor finds Case Farms Processing again exposes workers to multiple hazards at Ohio chicken processing plant

WINESBURG, OH ‒ A chicken processing plant – with a long history of violations ‒ again failed to comply with federal safety regulations and exposed workers to multiple hazards while they processed chickens for commercial sale, federal inspectors found. 

February 7, 2024

Court orders Connecticut sports bar, owner to pay $359K for retaliating against employees

HARTFORD, CT – After investigations and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, a federal court ordered a Milford sports bar and its owner to pay employees a total of $359,485 in back pay, emotional distress damages, withheld compensation and punitive damages for violating the anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

February 5, 2024

US Department of Labor cites Alabama construction employer after heat illness claims life of 33-year-old worker at Huntsville job site

HUNTSVILLE, AL – During the peak of summer in July 2023, a 33-year-old concrete finisher collapsed at a Huntsville construction site after showing clear signs of heat illness, a tragedy that federal safety investigators found could have been prevented had the employer followed established safety practices for heat hazards.

February 5, 2024

US Department of Labor offers webinar for hospitality industry employers, workers, other stakeholders for Hospitality Worker Appreciation Day

Who:               U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division          

What:             Labor law webinar for Hospitality Worker Appreciation Day 

January 31, 2024

Department of Labor fines New Jersey transportation company $437K after inspectors find workers exposed to safety, health hazards at Paulsboro site

PAULSBORO, NJ – A transportation company is facing $437,860 in federal penalties after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found workplace safety and health hazards at its Paulsboro site.

January 31, 2024

US Department of Labor cites Homestead drywall service employer after 22-year-old worker suffers fatal head injury at Miami Beach worksite

HOMESTEAD, FL – A Homestead drywall contractor could have prevented a hoisting incident in July 2023 by following required safety regulations, a federal workplace investigation has found. A 22-year-old worker suffered a fatal head injury following the incident.

January 29, 2024

Madison ice cream plant cited for violating multiple safety standards after federal investigators respond to report of ammonia release

MADISON, WI ‒ Responding to a report of workers being exposed to anhydrous ammonia, federal investigators found a Madison ice cream plant lacked sufficient process safety management procedures to control the release of hazardous chemicals. Exposure to anhydrous ammonia, used in the refrigeration process, can cause respiratory injuries and burns to the skin and eyes. 

January 26, 2024

US Labor Department cites Silver Creek plumbing contractor after 34-year-old employee’s fatal fall, exposure to hydrogen sulfide

ROME, GA – A Silver Creek plumbing contractor could have prevented a 34-year-old employee’s June 2023 fatal fall at a Rome work site by following required safety procedures, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

January 24, 2024

Federal court holds Nebraska contractor in contempt, orders daily fine until he complies with US Department of Labor subpoena

LINCOLN, NE – A federal court has issued an order holding a Nebraska roofing contractor — who has stalled federal investigators for nearly a year — in contempt of court and imposing a fine of $100 a day if he fails to comply with a subpoena to provide the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration with documents necessary for an investigation of an employee's fall off a residential roof in Lincoln in February 2023.

January 24, 2024

US Department of Labor investigation of worker’s finger-tip amputation finds Ohio instrument manufacturer again violated safety standards

EAST LAKE, OH ‒ Responding to the sixth amputation injury reported by an Ohio musical instrument manufacturer in the past eight years, federal investigators found employees at the East Lake facility were injured at four times the industry average rate in the past five years. 

January 19, 2024

US Labor Department investigation finds Ohio food warehouse exposed workers to ergonomic hazards

FAIRFIELD, OH – Federal inspectors examining injury and illness records at a Fairfield food services warehouse found workers suffered severe injuries at nearly four times the average rate for their industry, with a high percentage of these injuries categorized as ergonomic musculoskeletal disorders.

January 18, 2024

US Department of Labor investigation of worker amputation finds Ohio carpet manufacturer again ignored safety standards

MONROE, OH ‒ Responding to an employer report that a worker sustained a partial finger amputation while conducting cleaning operations at an Ohio automotive carpet manufacturer, federal safety inspectors found workers were exposed to operating machine parts as they cleared excess fiber material off chains, sprockets and other equipment. 

January 18, 2024

US Department of Labor investigation of construction worker’s fatal injuries finds Stoughton contractor failed to follow required safety procedures

BRAINTREE, MA – A federal investigation has found that a Stoughton general contractor could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries in June 2023 if the employer had followed required safety regulations and trained workers on the safe operation of heavy equipment at a Brockton work site.

January 17, 2024

US Department of Labor finds electric vehicle battery manufacturer exposed employees to unsafe nickel levels, other mixed metals at Commerce plant

ATLANTA – A global electric vehicle battery manufacturer exposed employees at its Commerce plant to serious and potentially disabling safety and health hazards, a U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety inspection found.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited SK Battery America Inc. with six serious violations and one other-than-serious violation after finding the company:

January 17, 2024

US Department of Labor cites Itasca parts manufacturer for multiple machine safety violations, exposing workers to amputation, other injuries

ITASCA, IL An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found an Itasca manufacturer failed to guard industrial equipment, develop a lockout/tagout program and train workers on machine safety procedures, exposing them to multiple injuries and amputation hazards. 

January 16, 2024

US Department of Labor cites Hattiesburg poultry facility after 16-year-old worker pulled into machine, suffers fatal injuries

HATTIESBURG, MS – For the second time in just over two years, a poultry processing plant in Hattiesburg has disregarded safety standards that have led to a worker’s death, this time a 16-year-old sanitation worker who was pulled into a machine, federal safety investigators found.   

January 12, 2024

Staten Island health center will pay $195K to former employee who reported concerns of risk of in-person staff meeting as pandemic grew

NEW YORK – In March 2020, as COVID-19 became a global pandemic, an employee of a Staten Island community health center asked permission to allow a regularly scheduled meeting to be held by teleconference – and then changed the format of the meeting to teleconference – rather than meeting in-person in a windowless conference room.

January 11, 2024

US Department of Labor launches program to stem fatalities, promote workplace safety in tree, landscape services industries

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a multi-year program to reduce worker fatalities and injuries in the tree and landscape services industries in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.