June 27, 2024

Department of Labor announces $12.7M funding opportunity to support delivery of employee safety, health training, education

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of more than $12.7M in training grants made by its Occupational Safety and Health Administration to support initiatives designed to create safer workplaces and, in turn, advance the department’s Good Jobs efforts.

June 27, 2024

US Department of Labor investigation finds Hubbard castings company could have prevented molten metal leak from fatally burning employee

HUBBARD, OH ‒ A Hubbard industrial manufacturer failed to protect their employees from molten metal that was heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the U.S. Department of Labor determined after its investigation into how a 30-year-old employee suffered fatal injuries.  

June 26, 2024

Department of Labor cites Arcadia labor contractor after farmworker suffers fatal illness while harvesting oranges with heat index over 90

ARCADIA, FL – A federal workplace safety investigation found a Florida labor contractor could have prevented the fatal illness of a 41-year-old worker who collapsed while harvesting oranges at Alico Farms in December 2023 by taking required steps to protect employees from hazards associated with high temperatures. 

June 25, 2024

US Department of Labor cites contractor for lacking required fall protection that contributed to 54-year-old employee’s fatal fall

ATLANTA – A five-man crew’s first day working to remove tar and stone from metal roof panels at a Macon warehouse ended abruptly in November 2023 when a 54-year-old laborer tragically suffered fatal injuries after stepping on a skylight and falling about 19 feet.

A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found Georgia construction contractor could have prevented by providing their employees with required fall protection.

June 25, 2024

Worker’s fatal fall in Chenango County preventable if Tennessee-based contractor had provided employees fall protection equipment, training

SYRACUSE, NY – A construction contractor could have prevented an employee’s fatal fall at a Smyrna, New York job site in December 2023 by providing adequate fall protection and training employees in its effective use, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

June 20, 2024

Department of Labor cites Boaz mobile home manufacturer after 62-year-old worker suffers fatal trauma after 10-foot fall

BOAZ, AL – A Boaz mobile home manufacturer could have prevented a 62-year-old roofing laborer’s fatal fall had the employer followed required fall protection standards, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that the Kabco Builders Inc. employee was alone loading shingles as they straddled a two-foot-wide space between a platform and a mobile home’s roof when they slipped and fell approximately 10 feet. 

June 20, 2024

US Department of Labor finds Woodbury resin maker’s safety failures contributed to 37-year-old technician’s fatal injuries

ATLANTA – A U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation has found a Woodbury plastic and resin manufacturer could have prevented a 37-year-old employee from suffering fatal injuries by following required safety rules designed to keep machines from starting up during maintenance. 

June 18, 2024

After Sandusky pork processing facility workers seek medical treatment for ammonia exposure, federal investigators identify 43 safety violations

SANDUSKY, OH – A Sandusky pork processing facility exposed workers to a release of ammonia gas, leading the U.S. Department of Labor to open two inspections and issue 43 violations of federal regulations.

June 17, 2024

 Department of Labor finds global pet products maker’s safety failures contributed to employee’s severe facial burns from molten plastic 

ARLINGTON, TX  A federal workplace safety investigation of a global manufacturer and distributor of pet products in Arlington identified one willful violation and eight serious violations of required safety regulations during its investigation into how an employee suffered severe facial burns in December 2023.  

June 14, 2024

Department of Labor urges Florida recovery workers, public to guard themselves against hazards amid flood cleanup

MIAMI – The U.S. Department of Labor reminds emergency responders and others working in rescue and recovery efforts as well as residents in areas flooded recently by intense rainfall to be vigilant and to protect themselves and avoid many hazards in a storm’s aftermath.

June 5, 2024

Department of Labor cites Long Branch contractor for 32 violations in 4-month span for willfully exposing employees to deadly fall hazards

LONG BRANCH, NJ – A Long Branch construction contractor with a history of ignoring federal fall safety standards has again been found exposing employees to potentially deadly fall hazards in eight work site inspections from November 2023 to March 2024.

May 31, 2024

Federal judge affirms 2022 citation, penalties against United Airlines for failing to protect employee seriously injured when 737 crushes foot

NEWARK, NJ – A federal administrative law judge has affirmed safety violations against United Airlines related to a 2021 incident at Newark Liberty International Airport in which a 737’s tire crushed a technician’s foot as they worked with one of the company’s towing crews.

May 31, 2024

Federal investigation into worker’s death finds Appleton pallet manufacturer failed to train employees, address machine safety hazards cited in 2019

APPLETON, WI – Federal investigators have concluded that an Appleton pallet manufacturer’s failure to train employees in machine safety procedures — and ensure the procedures were followed — contributed to the fatal injuries suffered by a 57-year-old employee struck by the carriage of a lumber stacking machine in late 2023.

May 28, 2024

Department of Labor cites leading tool, equipment manufacturer after maintenance electrician suffers severe burns in electrical arc fire

WILLARD, OH – One of the world’s largest and best-known tool and equipment manufacturers could have prevented a 29-year-old maintenance electrician from suffering severe burns during an electrical arc blast at a company facility in Willard if required safety standards were followed, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found. 

May 23, 2024

Department of Labor reaches settlement with Linden contractor after finding the company failed to prevent fatal 5-story fall at a Bayonne work site

LINDEN, NJ  – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement agreement with a New Jersey contractor after a worker suffered a fatal fall at a Bayonne worksite in October 2023. 

The settlement followed an inspection by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration of Granite & Marble Services LLC of Linden after the Bayonne Police Department alerted the agency that a worker had suffered fatal injuries at a multi-unit residential building under construction.

May 21, 2024

Waukegan roofing contractor finally pays $365K in penalties for endangering employees when Department of Labor moves to seize employer’s property

CHICAGO – Joshua Herion, a Waukegan roofing contractor who has routinely endangered employees by ignoring federal workplace standards and penalties assesses for its violations since 2014, has paid $365,576 in fines and interest, after the U.S. Department of Labor moved to seize the employer’s assets as part of the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration debt collection program.

May 20, 2024

Department of Labor announces final rule updating the Hazard Communication Standard to better protect workers, first responders

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced a final rule from its Occupational Safety and Health Administration that will update the current Hazard Communication Standard to better protect workers by improving the amount and quality of information on labels and safety data sheets and allow workers and first responders to react more quickly in an emergency. The updates take effect on July 19, 2024. 

May 15, 2024

Zwanenberg Food Group agrees to pay $1.7M in federal penalties, invest $1.9M in safety improvements at Cincinnati facility

CINCINNATI – Zwanenberg Food Group USA Inc., one of the world’s leading suppliers of processed foods, agrees to pay $1.7 million in federal penalties and invest $1.9 million in safety improvements at its Cincinnati plant to resolve hazards found during several investigations by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

May 15, 2024

Department of Labor alleges subcontractor knowingly exposed employees to asbestos hazards during former Waukegan hospital demolition

WAUKEGAN, IL – Alleging that K.L.F. Enterprises — a Chicago demolition subcontractor — knew it was exposing its employees and others to the serious dangers of asbestos at a Waukegan work site, the U.S. Department of Labor has cited the company for 36 safety and health violations after a federal investigation. 

May 13, 2024

US Department of Labor finds Watertown contractor did not provide required safeguards to prevent employee fatality in Brighton

BRAINTREE, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor has determined that a Watertown roofing contractor again violated federal regulations for fall protections, following a workplace safety investigation into how an employee suffered fatal injuries after falling about 27 feet as they tried to carry materials and climb a ladder jack scaffold at a Brighton work site in September 2023.