CINCINNATI, Ohio ‒ The life of a 53-year-old roofer who died after dropping 40 feet to the ground could have been saved if his employer had provided proper fall protection, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

LOS ANGELES – The country’s top administrator for remedying and preventing wage violations announced a consent judgment today that requires one of the primary clothing suppliers for Ross Stores, one of the largest off-price retailers in the United States, to pay $212,000 in back wages to employees of its garment subcontractors for minimum wage and overtime violations.

Date of Action: Feb. 8, 2016

Type of Action: Default judgment

Names of Defendant: Applied Technology Systems Inc. and Clark V. Hayes, individually and as fiduciaries to the Applied Technology Systems Inc. Retirement Plan, and the Applied Technology Systems Inc. Retirement Plan.

Employer name:  Budney Overhaul & Repair, Ltd. Inc., specializing in the repair and overhaul of a wide variety of aviation engine and airframe components.

Inspection site:  131 New Park Drive, Berlin, Connecticut.

Investigation findings:  Responding to a complaint, OSHA inspectors found several hazards associated with the use and presence of the carcinogen hexavalent chromium in the workplace. These included:

CLEVELAND ‒ Federal inspectors found toxic exposure to aniline that sent a 56-year-old service technician to the hospital occurred because adequate safeguards were not in place. 

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a Building and Heavy construction survey statewide in New Hampshire. The information collected will help establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.

Employer name:  Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. dba Alpine Lake RV Resort

Inspection site:  78 Heath Road, Corinth, New York

Investigation findings:  Employees were exposed to electrical hazards throughout the campground when they were required to work on outdoor electrical equipment. The hazards included:

State: California

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant incremental

Incremental Amount Released: $9 million       

Total Award Amount Approved: $18 million

Funding Awarded to: California Employment Development Department

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 1,000

SEATTLE – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered an Alaska aviation company to pay years of back wages, $100,000 in compensatory damages, and to reinstate a pilot who had been suspended, then fired and ostracized among the close-knit industry for reporting safety concerns at work.

Employer name: Plastics Engineering Company

Inspection site: 2732 North 15^th Street, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Citations issued: Feb. 22, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Appleton Area Office cited Plastic Engineering Company for one willful, five serious and one other-than-serious safety violation.

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, West Texas Safety Training Center Inc., Odessa, Texas

Employer(s) name(s): Richmond American Homes of Colorado Inc.
d-7 Roofing LLC

Worksites: Residential housing projects in Littleton and Aurora, Colorado

Citations issued: Feb. 22, 2016

Employer: Power Services Company of Oklahoma LLC

Site: 9881 Hectorville Road, Mounds, Oklahoma

PITTSBURGH – In 2014, two U.S. Steel Corp., employees reported injuries that may have resulted from worksite incidents occurring a few days earlier. At the time of the incidents, the employees were unaware they had suffered injuries, as symptoms did not develop until later. When the workers realized and reported their injuries, U.S. Steel suspended both workers without pay for violating the company’s immediate reporting policy.

Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
Fenox Venture Capital of San Jose, California

What: Fenox wrongfully classified 56 workers, who were performing high-level jobs, as unpaid interns, the Wage and Hour Division announced today. The Silicon Valley venture capital firm will pay $331,269 in back wages and damages to the workers.

WHAT: The U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program funding of $13 million to provide an estimated 6,000 veterans with job-driven training for in-demand jobs to help them successfully transition from homelessness to sustainable housing and good civilian jobs. Homeless veterans may receive occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, including follow-up services.

Date of action: Feb. 1, 2016

Type of action: Decision and Order

Names of defendant: David Dzenutis dba Royal Construction Company, a roofing contractor in Canton, Connecticut.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – He took the right step, and was fired for it.

He was a demolition and asbestos abatement laborer employed by Regional Environmental Demolition Inc. at an asbestos abatement project in Buffalo from April to June 2014. At the job site at 527 West Utica St., the man observed weakened or deteriorated sections of flooring called “soft spots.” At one spot, his foot broke through the floor.

WASHINGTON – In the nipa groves that line the Philippine shore, families spend harrowing days in a desperate search for gold. Children crouch in the mud, separating gold from sediment. Meanwhile, their older siblings and parents dive deep into the marsh. Spending hours below the surface, seeking tiny flecks of the precious metal in cloudy water, drawing breath from makeshift tubes connected to small compressors. Children like Jonathon Ramorez use toxic mercury to amalgamate the gold.

Employer’s names: John Whigham Sheeting Inc.
Ezzo Construction LLC
S.A. Robinson Construction
KB Home Florida LLC

Inspection site: Abby Glen subdivision, Jacksonville, Florida 32257

Citations issued: Citations were issued to the employers on Feb. 17.