SUN PRAIRIE, WI – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) into an explosion and fire in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, found that two utility contractors ­ – Bear Communications LLC of Lawrence, Kansas, and subcontractor V C Tech Inc. of Ypsilanti, Michigan­ – failed to establish the location of underground utilities prior to beginning excavation work.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Backyard Energy Services – based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – has paid $253,399 in back wages and $2,163 civil money penalties to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime, child labor, and recordkeeping requirements.

CAMDEN, AR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Ouachita County Medical Center – a non-profit corporation headquartered in Camden, Arkansas – has paid $91,044 in back wages to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime provisions.

TAMPA, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) office in Tampa, Florida, conducted 350 investigations of employers in the restaurant industry in fiscal year 2018, finding over $1 million in back wages and liquidated damages for more than 1,500 employees for minimum wage and overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). WHD assessed more than $19,000 in civil money penalties in these investigations.

EDINBURG, TX - The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will provide a training seminar for agricultural employers including growers, shippers, packers, and harvesters in Edinburg, Texas, on January 16 and 17, 2019.

WOODLAND HILLS, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for a repeated violation of OSHA's General Duty Clause following the heat-related death of a Southern California mail carrier at the Woodland Hills Post Office.

In the week ending January 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 216,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 231,000 to 233,000. The 4-week moving average was 221,750, an increase of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 218,750 to 219,250.

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 27 mining fatalities occurred in 2018 - the second lowest number ever recorded.

Eighteen fatalities occurred at surface operations; nine occurred in underground mines. Approximately 250,000 miners work across 12,000 U.S. metal/nonmetal mines, and 83,000 miners work in the nation's 1,200 coal mines.

LITTLE ROCK, AR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Jai Mata LLC – operator of the MStar Motel in Searcy, Arkansas – has paid $53,055 in back wages to 11 employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime and minimum wage requirements.

SAN ANTONIO, TX - The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will present an educational forum about developments in its policies and regulations, and its Payroll Audit Independent Determination Program (PAID), in San Antonio, Texas, on February 7, 2019.

FORT RILEY, KS – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Maryland-based contractor Power Factor LLC for exposing workers to electrical hazards after an employee was fatally electrocuted while installing solar panels on a building in Fort Riley, Kansas.

BIRMINGHAM, AL – J&L Imperium Industries LLC – based in Dallas, Texas – has paid $24,072 in back wages to 10 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the company violated requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA), the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), while operating at a worksite in Birmingham, Alabama.

KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds employers to stay vigilant when it comes to weather-related hazards that can put employees at risk when temperatures plummet in winter months.

TUSCALOOSA, AL – Maldonado Roofing LLC – based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama – will pay $57,428 in back wages, overtime, and fringe benefits to 41 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA), the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ERIE, PA - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Turner Construction Company have established a strategic partnership to promote workplace safety for a building project at UPMC Hamot hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The partnership seeks to educate workers, control or eliminate serious hazards, and establish effective safety and health programs for the project. Located at 201 State Street, the project - scheduled for completion in 2020 - includes a 200,000 square-foot, seven-floor patient care building.

PENNSBURG, PA - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Spear Excavating LLC – based in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania – for exposing employees to trenching hazards at a worksite in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The company faces $106,057 in proposed penalties.

OSHA initiated an inspection on August 2, 2018, after receiving a complaint alleging the hazards. Inspectors determined that employees were working in an excavation that was accumulating water and did not have proper protection from cave-ins.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced three appointments to the Administrative Review Board (ARB). The three members – William Thomas Barto, James A. Haynes, and Daniel T. Gresh – were appointed for two-year terms.

SURF CITY, NC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Max's Pizza Inc. – a Surf City, North Carolina, pizza and sub restaurant – has paid a civil penalty of $14,287 for violating the minimum wage and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

BOWLING GREEN, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Franklin County Construction LLC – based in New Haven, Missouri – after an employee suffered fatal fall injuries when a roof truss collapsed. The employee was part of a crew installing prefabricated roof trusses onto a commercial building under construction in Bowling Green, Missouri.

OMAHA, NE – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), a federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, entered a consent judgment ordering China Palace Inc. and owners and operators – Miao Hui Zhang and Jian Zhang – to pay $145,987 in back wages, liquidated damages and interest to eight current and former employees.