November 1, 2023

US Department of Labor investigation cites Waupaca Foundry after 2 workers suffer amputation injuries in 11 days, fines company $234K

MARINETTE, WI – Federal investigations into how two employees in the mill room at a Wisconsin foundry suffered amputation injuries within 11 days of one another in April and May 2023 found the Marinette company again violated federal regulations for control of hazardous energy during servicing and maintenance.

October 31, 2023

US Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board sign agreement to strengthen information-sharing, outreach on whistleblower protections

WASHINGTONThe U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board today announced that the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the board have signed an agreement to strengthen the agencies’ partnership and outline procedures for information-sharing, referrals, training and outreach that explain federal anti-retaliation protections.

October 31, 2023

US Department of Labor again cites Jacksonville residential roofing contractor for exposing workers to fall hazards, proposes $72K in penalties

Employer:       

Brayden Roofing Specialists LLC

4728 Brierwood Road

Jacksonville, FL 32257

October 27, 2023

US Department of Labor cites Kissimmee grocery store after investigation finds 65-year-old worker’s employer could have prevented fatal fall

KISSIMMEE, FL – Federal workplace safety investigators have determined that the operator of a Kissimmee grocery store could have prevented a 65-year-old clerk’s fatal fall from a defective ladder by following required safety procedures.

October 23, 2023

US Department of Labor fines Texas company $399K for failing to protect tank cleaners from toxic gas, leading to worker hospitalization

BEAUMONT, TX – Two employees of a national tank cleaning company suffered injuries when exposed to hydrogen sulfide – a flammable, highly toxic colorless gas – that was present during the cleaning process ­­of a tanker truck on April 25, 2023, in Beaumont. Two municipal firefighters responding to the scene also suffered injuries from the gas. 

October 23, 2023

Department of Labor cites Wisconsin roofing contractor for again exposing workers to fall hazards at residential home site in Appleton

Employer:                                          Brookens Construction LLC

                                                                 6592 Lake Road, Suite D

October 23, 2023

US Department of Labor obtains consent injunction requiring New York contractor to provide employees with fall protection

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent injunction ordering a Rockland County roofing contractor and its principal to provide employees with fall protection equipment and make sure it’s used at all company worksites, as required by federal law. The order finds that, by allowing employees to do roofing work without fall protection, the company is exposing them to imminent danger of death or serious harm.

October 18, 2023

US Department of Labor investigation finds ADM failed to inspect, test critical safety systems in explosion that injured 3 workers at Decatur facility

DECATUR, IL ‒ A lack of preventative maintenance on the explosion suppression system of a bucket elevator was a major factor in an April 20, 2023, explosion at Archer-Daniels-Midland Company’s West Plant that resulted in the hospitalization of three employees with burns and other injuries and extensive damage to the grain elevator, federal investigators found. 

October 16, 2023

US Department of Labor cites Bronx contractor for excavation hazards after deaths of two workers at JFK Airport

NEW YORK – Two employees of a Bronx water and sewer line construction contractor were fatally injured in a trench at a construction site at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens on April 3, 2023. These fatalities could have been prevented if their employer, Triumph Construction Corp., had ensured proper safeguards, a federal investigation found.

October 12, 2023

Federal investigation into workplace fatality finds Tulsa metal fabrication company exposed employees to dozens of safety, health hazards

TULSA, OK – Three federal workplace safety and health investigations that followed the April 2023 death of a worker at a Tulsa manufacturing facility found the company exposed employees to struck-by hazards and identified 36 violations, including 25 serious safety violations of U.S. Department of Labor regulations. 

October 12, 2023

Warren battery cell manufacturing plant faces $270K in penalties after federal investigators identify 19 safety, health violations

WARREN, OH ‒ U.S. Department of Labor investigators examining the cause of a March 2023 explosion and fire at a Warren auto battery manufacturing plant and investigating other safety complaints identified 19 safety and health violations after opening four separate inspections in less than a two-week period.

October 11, 2023

US Department of Labor cites Massachusetts alloys manufacturer for failing to protect employees against exposure to toxic beryllium

ANDOVER, MA – A Wilmington fabricator of advanced alloys failed to adequately protect its employees against exposure to the toxic substance beryllium adequately, a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection has revealed. 

October 6, 2023

US Department of Labor investigations find South Florida contractors put roofing workers’ safety at risk; now face nearly $174K in penalties

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – For roofing workers without required fall protection, one wrong or unsteady step can lead to serious, debilitating injuries or worse, a danger to which two Florida contractors exposed 12 workers at a Davie worksite in April 2023. 

October 5, 2023

Federal investigation finds RM Palmer did not evacuate West Reading candy plant before gas leak explosion fatally injured 7 workers

READING, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has found a well-known Pennsylvania candy maker failed to evacuate employees after some reported smelling gas before a March 2023 explosion that killed seven workers at the company’s West Reading facility.

October 3, 2023

US Department of Labor cites Wisconsin Dollar General for electrical hazards

Employer:                                          Dolgencorp LLC, operating as Dollar General

404 East Pioneer St.

Crandon, Wisconsin 54520

October 3, 2023

US Department of Labor settlement agreement affirms citations issued to New Jersey contractor that exposed workers to energized power lines

WAYNE, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with a New Jersey building contractor who allowed their subcontractors’ employees to work in close proximity to high-voltage power lines at a Paterson work site in 2021 and 2022.

October 3, 2023

Federal court orders former Boise dog daycare facility, owner to pay $50K to two employees fired after reporting COVID-19 safety concerns

BOISE, ID ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in federal court requiring a Boise dog daycare facility and its former owner to pay $50,000 in general and punitive damages for terminating two employees unlawfully for raising workplace safety concerns about being exposed to the risk of the coronavirus amid the pandemic in June 2020.

September 29, 2023

US Department of Labor investigation of 29-year-old worker’s drowning finds Key Largo marine construction company failed to follow federal safety requirements

KEY LARGO, FL – A 29-year-old employee of a Florida marine construction company drowned in five feet of water after being pinned under a fallen crane in March 2023. Federal workplace safety investigators determined the company could have prevented the fatality by following required safety standards.

September 27, 2023

US Department of Labor finds Augusta battery manufacturer exposing employees to unsafe lead levels, other hazards

ATLANTA – A federal workplace safety investigation has found an Augusta battery manufacturer exposed employees to unsafe levels of lead, a determination based on personal air monitoring of workers and lead accumulation on respirators and counters in areas where workers took lunch breaks.