ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today it will issue its Final Rule for Examination of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines. The new rule will be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 23, 2017, and go into effect on May 23, 2017.

The final rule improves miner safety and health in three primary areas, requiring that:

Employer name: County Concrete Corp.                                 

Inspection site: 64 Glenwood Pl.
East Orange, New Jersey

Employer name: BHC Northwest Psychiatric Hospital LLC, doing business as Brooke Glen Behavioral Hospital

Inspection site: 7170 Lafayette Ave.
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: On Jan. 11, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for four serious violations.

BRAINTREE, Mass. – A Bellingham used auto parts business’ failure to follow required workplace safety standards allowed an employee to suffer fatal head injuries, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

Participants: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Denver and Englewood Area Offices and the Rocky Mountain Education Center located at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado.

KINGSTON, Okla. – A complaint of unsafe working conditions led U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors to discover the safety and health of employees at a well-known Oklahoma truck bed fabricator being placed at risk amid nearly two dozen safety and health violations.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration today awarded $65 million to 52 state workforce agencies, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, to operate Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment programs for unemployment insurance beneficiaries.

ATLANTA – LexisNexis Risk Solutions will pay over $1.2 million in back pay and interest and provide additional relief to resolve allegations of systemic pay discrimination against women at its facilities in Alpharetta, Georgia, and Boca Raton, Florida.

CHICAGO, Ill. ‒ Federal safety inspectors saw seven employees of a Park Ridge contractor performing masonry work on a Chicago building at heights up to 40 feet without adequate fall protection and have issued citations to the company. The company committed similar violations in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Employer name: Kempf Construction Inc.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Citations issued: Jan. 9, 2017

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the award of $1.97 million for nine Labor Research and Evaluation Grants to support university-based research of workforce policies and programs.

WASHINGTON – Over one-fifth of the current U.S. workforce is made up of workers in licensed occupations – jobs that require a government license. Current licensing systems, however, can become inefficient, resulting in barriers for workers trying to enter a profession, restricted worker mobility and ultimately impaired economic growth.

In the week ending January 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 247,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 235,000 to 237,000. The 4-week moving average was 256,500, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 1,500 from 256,750 to 258,250.

State: Kentucky

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Supplemental Amount Approved: $11,000,000, with $5,000,000 released initially       

Total Funds Awarded: $22,486,426

Funding Awarded to: Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Programs, Inc.

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 1,450

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Department of Labor investigated two popular Solvang tourist restaurants and determined that they denied wait staff break time to express breast milk in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Employer: Star Finishes LLC
9705 Burnet Rd., # 317
Austin, TX 78758

Site: Austin, Texas

WASHINGTON – A report released today under the labor chapter of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Trade and Labor Affairs identifies significant concerns regarding Colombian labor law enforcement, as well as concerns with the prosecution of cases of anti-union violence.

Date of Action: Jan. 6, 2017

Type of Action: Lawsuit to recover missing retirement and health plan funds

Name of Defendant(s): Central Security Communications Inc.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Millikin
Fiduciary Howard Klinger

Employer name: Gulf Coast L&P Inc., doing business as Rent-n-Roll

Investigation site: 1059 North Eastern Blvd.
Montgomery, Alabama 36117

ARLINGTON, Va. – Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration indicate that in 2016, 26 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation’s mines – down from 29 in 2015. The figure represents the lowest number of mining deaths ever recorded and only the second year that mining deaths dropped below 30. Currently, approximately 330,000 miners work in more than 13,000 U.S. mines.