WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued interim guidance for enforcing OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements (29 CFR Part 1904) as it relates to recording cases of COVID-19.

COLUMBUS, OH ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Alejandro Vazquez Gallegos – a contractor based in Columbus, Ohio – for exposing employees to falls at job sites in Pickerington and Galena, Ohio. The roofing contractor faces penalties of $236,642 for two willful, two repeat and four serious safety violations.

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Martin-Pinero CPM LLC – a construction contractor based in Atlanta, Georgia – for exposing employees to fall hazards after a fatal incident at a highway construction project in Atlanta. The company faces $170,020 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement regarding Unemployment Insurance claims:

 WASHINGTON, DC ‒ To raise awareness about the hazards in the grain handling industry ‒ including potentially deadly engulfment ‒ the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is joining with industry leaders and safety professionals nationwide for the Stand Up4 Grain Safety Week, April 13-17, 2020.

In the week ending April 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 6,606,000, a decrease of 261,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 219,000 from 6,648,000 to 6,867,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,265,500, an increase of 1,598,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 54,750 from 2,612,000 to 2,666,750.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has expanded temporary guidance provided in a March 14, 2020, memorandum regarding supply shortages of N95s or other filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON, DC –The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert listing safety tips employers can follow to help protect retail workers from exposure to coronavirus.

Safety measures employers can implement to protect employees working in pharmacies, supermarkets, big box stores and other retail establishments include:

MCCOMB, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Hearthside Food Solutions Inc. – a manufacturer of brand name cookies and crackers – for violations of OSHA’s machine safety standards after two employees suffered severe injuries in separate incidents at the McComb, Ohio, facility. The company faces $262,169 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reminding employers that it is illegal to retaliate against workers because they report unsafe and unhealthful working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Acts of retaliation can include terminations, demotions, denials of overtime or promotion, or reductions in pay or hours.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is hiring 45 additional investigators to conduct investigations to determine employers’ compliance with applicable federal labor laws.

New recruits will join a busy and productive team, including 45 new investigators and 15 Wage and Hour Technicians the hired earlier this year.

CHICAGO, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a petition asking the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, to enforce an administrative subpoena the department served to Alight Solutions LLC – based in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

ST. JOSEPH, MO ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Skinner Tank Company – based in Yale, Oklahoma – for lack of fall protection after an employee constructing a storage tank suffered fatal injuries in a 50-foot fall at a Missouri agricultural facility in October 2019. The company faces $415,204 in penalties for two willful and 11 serious safety violations, and has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

PEORIA, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),  Grain and Feed Association of Illinois (GFAI), and Illinois On-Site Consultation Program have signed a two-year alliance to address safety and health hazards employees face at Illinois grain-handling sites.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a new poster listing steps all workplaces can take to reduce the risk of exposure to coronavirus.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) today announced the availability of $42.5 million in Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants to support the enrollment of in-school or out-of-school youth apprentices (ages 16-24) into new or existing Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs).

BETHESDA, MD – The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has issued a summary judgment requiring defendants WH Administrators, its owner and chief executive officer (CEO) and chief operating officer to restore $28,650,604 to health and welfare plans sold to employers by the now defunct Bethesda, Maryland-based benefits administration company.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 16-20 providing guidance to states for implementation of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of Unemployment Insurance Guidance Letter 15-20 (UIPL) providing guidance to states for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC). Under FPUC, states will administer an additional $600 weekly payment to certain eligible individuals who are receiving other benefits.

WASHINGTON, DC – In the latest effort to implement President Donald J. Trump’s Memorandum on Making General Use Respirators Available, the U.S.