March 9, 2016

Popular DC hotel exposes employees to more than two dozen workplace safety, health hazards; faces $76K in fines

Employer: Wardman Hotel LLC, doing business as Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

Site: 2600 Woodley Road, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Citations issued: On Feb. 24, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for 12 serious and 14 other-than-serious violations.

March 9, 2016

OSHA inspectors find prison workers at two West Virginia federal facilities still lack safety gloves to prevent sharps-related hazards

Employers:  U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Correctional Center Hazelton

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Correctional Institution McDowell

Inspection sites:  Hazelton FCC, 1640 Sky View Drive, Bruceton Mills, West Virginia

McDowell FCI, 101 Federal Drive, Welch, West Virginia

March 9, 2016

OSHA cites marine construction company for exposing workers to three-story high fall hazards, other safety violations

Employer name: Marine Builders, Inc.

Inspection site: 5821 Utica Pike, Jeffersonville, Indiana

Citations issued: March 1, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s cited Marine Builders Inc. for one repeat, eight serious and three other-than-serious safety violations.

March 9, 2016

US Labor Department sues after Pennsylvania duct manufacturer fires two employees for identifying, documenting machine hazards

MONTGOMERYVILLE, Pa. – On July 11, 2014, a worker at Lloyd Industries’ Montgomeryville plant suffered the amputation of three fingers after a machine without safety guards crushed his hand. The company, a leading manufacturer of fire dampers and HVAC products, fired him immediately after the incident.

March 9, 2016

OSHA: Bergen County contractor willfully exposed workers to potential trench cave-in at Parsippany worksite

Employer name: D.S. Meyer Enterprises LLC, 34 Maple Ave. Waldwick, New Jersey  

Site: 45 Waterview Blvd., Parsippany, New Jersey

Citations issued: On Feb. 29, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Parsippany Area Office issued citations for five serious and one willful violation.

March 9, 2016

Lynn roofing contractor again exposes employees to fall, electrical hazards

Employer name: Continental Construction Group, 177 North Common St., Lynn, Massachusetts

Citations issued: Five repeat and two serious citations.

March 8, 2016

Department secures consent judgment appointing independent fiduciary to distribute $966K in 401(k) assets of defunct Pennsylvania biopharma company

Date of Action: March 8, 2016

Name(s) of Defendants: Encorium Group Inc., formerly a global clinical research company

March 8, 2016

Worker suffers severe injury when hand is caught in machine at Ohio corrugated packaging company

Employer name: Safeway Packaging Inc.

Inspection site: 300 White Mountain Drive, New Bremen, Ohio

Citations issued: March 3, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Toledo Area Office cited Safeway Packaging Inc. for two repeated and three serious safety violations.

March 8, 2016

OSHA finds wood floor designs used for concrete led to collapse, contractor’s death at restaurant reconstruction project

KILN, Miss. – When followed, safety standards save lives and painful injuries. In the construction industry, ignoring them can lead to disaster as it did for 54-year-old Gary Berthelot.

March 8, 2016

Federal grant provides $625K to assist Dallas County recovery after severe winter storms, tornadoes and flooding

State: Texas

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant, Supplemental

Award Amount Approved/Released: $625,000

Funding Awarded to: Texas Workforce Commission

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 115

March 8, 2016

US Labor Department files lawsuit to appoint independent fiduciary for the Horizon NR LLC employee savings plan in Ashland, Kentucky

Date of Action: March 07, 2016

Type of Action: Complaint

Name of Defendants: Horizon NR LLC, Lance Sogan, Horizon NR LLC Employee Savings Plan and Trust

March 8, 2016

Supplemental funding award of $67K helps Massachusetts workers affected by Mersen USA and Philips Lightoiler closures

State: Massachusetts

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant, Supplemental

Supplemental Amount Released: $67,683

Initial Award Amount Approved: $1,222,904

Funding Awarded to: Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 56

March 7, 2016

Mega Construction continues to expose workers to dangerous fall hazards at Daphne, Alabama, subdivisions; OSHA proposes more than $92K in fines

Employer name: Mega Construction Co. Inc.

Inspection site: 24543 Alex Court, Daphne, Alabama 36526
10650 Ahern Drive, Daphne, Alabama 36526

Citations issued: Citations were issued to the employer on March 4, 2016.

March 7, 2016

Popular Cajun food enterprise will pay more than $138K in back wages, penalties following U.S. Labor Department investigation

SCOTT, La. – While Billy’s Boudin & Cracklins food preparers were mixing rice, meat and seasoning to make the company’s popular Cajun sausage, their employer was cooking the books. Instead of paying workers the wages they legally earned, investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that the owners were using those unpaid wages to lower their costs and increase profits.

March 7, 2016

US Department of Labor sues Lear Corp., three managers who retaliated after employees raised safety concerns at Selma foam manufacturer

MOBILE, Ala. – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Lear Corp., doing business as Renosol Seating LLC, and three of its managers for suspending and terminating employees who reported workplace hazards in violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

March 4, 2016

OSHA, Waubonsee Community College sponsor worker safety, health conference on March 16, in Sugar Grove, Illinois

Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Aurora office
Waubonsee Community College

What: OSHA Safety Day Training Conference

When: Wednesday, March 16, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. CDT

Where: Waubonsee Community College
Route 47 at Waubonsee Drive
Sugar Grove, IL

March 4, 2016

Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on February employment numbers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the February 2016 Employment Situation report released today:

March 3, 2016

OSHA finds Jake Rieger Farms wrongfully terminated driver who refused to operate truck that violated Iowa law; owes $55K in wages, damages

FALLS CITY, Neb. – A truck driver fired for refusing to drive a company vehicle pulled from service by the Iowa Department of Transportation is owed $55,000 in back wages, damages and compensation from his employer, the finding of a U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation.

March 3, 2016

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending February 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 278,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 272,000. The 4-week moving average was 270,250, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 272,000.

March 2, 2016

US Labor Department initiative finds Ames restaurants owe nearly $100K in back wages to more than 150 workers

AMES, Iowa – In “college towns” like the city of Ames, hospitality industry jobs are often filled by students, temporary, or foreign workers – many of whom are new to the workforce. Among the nation’s lowest paid workers, they are often unfamiliar with wage laws and their rights.  Language barriers, fear of retaliation, and fears about immigration status can also cause them to be among those least likely to exercise their rights, leaving them vulnerable to labor violations.