May 20, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Miami, Florida, metal recycler exposes workers to electrocution, amputations and lead hazards; nearly $60K in penalties proposed [05/20/2015]

Employer name: Allied Metals LLC

Inspection site: At the time of the inspection, workers were recycling metal at the company's warehouse located at 2902 NW 32nd Avenue, Miami, Florida 33142.

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the Nov. 21, 2014 inspection as part of the agency's Site Specific Targeting Program.

May 20, 2015

OSHA News Release: Illinois Dollar Tree stores endanger workers with blocked exits, stacked boxes [05/20/2015]

CALUMET CITY, Ill. — Workers at two Chicago-area Dollar Tree Inc. stores were exposed to safety hazards from blocked exit routes and boxes piled at dangerous heights. The national retailer, who recorded sales of $8.6 billion in 2014, has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for more than 200 safety and health violations across the nation since 2009.

May 19, 2015

Court appoints independent fiduciary to distribute assets of I.Q. Marketing Inc. 401(k) Plan in Minneapolis

Date of Action: May 15, 2015

Type of Action: Default Judgment

Names of Defendants: Janet Finken, I.Q. Marketing, Inc., I.Q. Marketing Inc. 401(k) Plan

May 19, 2015

AARC Environmental Inc. owes missing employee retirement contributions and health plan premiums, let health plan coverage lapse

Date of Action: April 20, 2015

Type of Action: Amended Complaint to permanently enjoin from serving as a fiduciary to any retirement benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Security Income Act of 1974 and from violating the act.

Name of Defendant: AARC Environmental, Inc., an environmental engineering firm in Houston, Texas, and owner Kishore Chainani

May 19, 2015

WHD News Brief: U.S. Labor Department lawsuit seeks back wages, damages for 2 recreational vehicle technicians in Coloma, Michigan [05/19/2015]

Employer name: SSF Inc., doing business as Gourmet Garden

Investigation site: 2255 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103

Investigation findings: The Wage and Hour Division of the U. S. Department of Labor conducted an investigation and found the employer in violation of the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

May 19, 2015

OSHA News Release: Dollar General ignores dangers of blocked emergency exits and other serious hazards at Bear, Delaware, store; faces nearly $125K in fines [05/19/2015]

BEAR, Del. — Boxes and excess merchandise could be a matter of life or death for workers at a Dollar General store in Bear, where federal inspectors found emergency exits blocked, in violation of federal law.

The review by U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors was done in November 2014 at the store at 1679 Pulaski Highway, where four violations were found. Proposed penalties total $122,100.

May 19, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Unadilla, Georgia, recycling center exposes workers to falls, fire and amputation hazards [05/19/2015]

Employer name: Recycling Revolution LLC

Inspection site: 4190 Collins Rd., Unadilla, Georgia. 31091

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the November 12, 2014 inspection as part of its National Emphasis Program on Amputations.

Investigation findings:

May 19, 2015

EBSA News Brief: AARC Environmental Inc. owes missing employee retirement contributions and health plan premiums, let health plan coverage lapse [05/19/2015]

Date of Action: April 20, 2015

Type of Action: Amended Complaint to permanently enjoin from serving as a fiduciary to any retirement benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Security Income Security Act of 1974 and from violating the act.

Name of Defendant: AARC Environmental, Inc., an environmental engineering firm in Houston, Texas, and owner Kishore Chainani

May 18, 2015

OSHA News Release: Safety inspection finds 9 contractors at Doral, Florida, luxury construction site ignore dangerous falls and other hazards, put workers at risk [05/18/2015]

DORAL, Fla. — If you're a construction company owner and routinely choose to ignore worker safety, you may want to think twice about putting your employees in danger of falls and other serious safety risks.

Nine contractors at the newly constructed Oasis Park Square residential development in Doral learned a hard lesson when U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors visited the work site in November 2014.

May 18, 2015

OSHA News Release: Storage tank manufacturer exposes welders to toxic metal hazards [05/18/2015]

ROTHSCHILD, Wis. — Workers welding stainless steel and other alloy steels containing chromium metal at a Wisconsin bulk storage tank manufacturer were exposed to hazardous levels of hexavalent chromium. At high levels, hexavalent chromium can cause lung cancer and respiratory, eye and skin damage.

May 18, 2015

OSHA News Release: Lack of safety equipment and training cost electrical technician his life [05/18/2015]

BRIDGETON, Mo. — A 31-year-old assembly technician was working with a battery charger manufacturer for about a month when tragedy struck. In November 2014, the man was testing transformers when he was electrocuted.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators found that the man's death might have been prevented if his employer, Ferro Magnetics Corp., had supplied adequate personal protective equipment, followed safety procedures and provided training.

May 15, 2015

OSHA News Release: Record snowfall highlights why fall safety is a year-round concern [05/15/2015]

CONCORD, N.H. — After record-setting snowfall last winter, New Hampshire residents scrambled to get heavy snow off their roofs to avoid damage. At the same time, U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found contractors who ignored hazards and had employees remove snow from roofs without using required fall protection.

May 14, 2015

Proper protections could have saved four DuPont workers killed by gas

Federal safety investigators find serious failures in 2014 toxic release in Texas

LAPORTE, Texas Four workers killed by a lethal gas in November 2014 would be alive today had their employer, DuPont, taken steps to protect them, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

May 14, 2015

Fiduciary restores more than $10K to SGH Communications, Inc. SIMPLE Plan in Lakeville, Minnesota

Date of Action: May 14, 2015

Type of Action: Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendant: Jean Hanvik, SGH Communications, Inc., SGH Communications, Inc. SIMPLE Plan

Allegations: Jean Hanvik was the sole owner of SGH Communications, Inc. in Lakeville, Minnesota. SGH Communications, Inc. was the plan administrator for the SGH Communications Inc. SIMPLE Plan.

May 14, 2015

OSHA News Release: Proper protections could have saved four DuPont workers killed by gas [05/14/2015]

LAPORTE, Texas —Four workers killed by a lethal gas in November 2014 would be alive today had their employer, DuPont, taken steps to protect them, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

May 14, 2015

ETA News Brief: Funding awarded to assist laid off millworkers after Oregon roof collapse [05/14/2015]

State: Oregon

Type of Award: National Emergency Grant funding

Total Award Amount Approved: $499,801

Funding Awarded to: Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development

Number of Workers to Be Served: About 100

May 13, 2015

OSHA News Release: Workers face risk of injury from machinery, chemical and fire hazards at Vandalia, Illinois, metal tube manufacturing plant [05/13/2015]

VANDALIA, Ill. — A metal tube manufacturer put workers at risk of lacerations, amputations and potential explosion and fire by ignoring standard safety rules for machines and storing flammable materials in open containers near propane heaters where they might ignite.

May 13, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA finds that Fort Jackson contractor allowed employees to work in an unprotected trench [05/13/2015]

Employer name: DS Utilities Inc.

Inspection site: At the time of the inspection, workers were installing sewer lines at the intersection of Lee and Washington Roads, Fort Jackson, South Carolina 29207.

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the January 2015 inspection as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation.

May 12, 2015

WHD News Brief: Tobacco grower to pay back wages and penalties for labor law violations [05/12/2015]

Employer name: T Bond LLC

Investigation site: 2920 Sparta-New Liberty Road, Sparta, Kentucky

May 12, 2015

WHD News Brief: Department of Labor files suit alleging Valparaiso, Indiana, auto mechanics did not earn minimum wage or overtime pay [05/12/2015]

Date of Action: May 1, 2015

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act Lawsuit

Name of Defendant: Five M's LLC, d/b/a Premier Auto, Premier Auto Sales and Valparaiso Transmission also known as Valparaiso Car Care and Transmission, R-Way Inc., d/b/a L & W Auto Salvage, and John Morgavan