WASHINGTON — For more than a decade, the U.S. government has been championing efforts to reduce child labor in West African cocoa production, providing vulnerable children in cocoa-growing areas with better access to education and vocational training, and their families with support so they can better provide for themselves and meet their basic needs without relying on child labor.

WASHINGTON — The Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, will hold a meeting Aug. 18-20 in Washington at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel at 415 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and end at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 and 19, with a one-hour break for lunch each day. On Aug. 20, the meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at approximately 12 p.m.

Employer name: Clemco Industries Inc.

Investigation site: One Cable Car Drive, Washington, Missouri

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's St. Louis Area Office issued 10 serious and one other-than-serious safety and health violations to the Clemco Industries on July 24. The company manufactures abrasive blasting equipment such as hoods, valves and hoppers and employs about 150 workers.

Employer name: Southcross Energy Partners GP LLC

Site: Gregory, Texas, with headquarters in Dallas

Date cited: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the midstream cryogenic natural gas processing facility.

Date of Action: July 27, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint, Consent Order and Judgment

Names of Defendants: Marcia Langenecker, individually and as fiduciary of the Approved Products Inc. 401(k) Savings Retirement Plan; Approved Products Inc.; and Approved Products Inc. 401(k) Savings Retirement Plan

NEW YORK — The owner and operator of several Brooklyn preschool facilities threatened and tried to force employees to be part of a kickback scheme to fake payment of back wages owed to them, the U.S. Department of Labor has alleged in a federal court complaint.

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act Lawsuit

Name of Defendant: Sanchez Inc., doing business as Rancho Fiesta, Lorenzo Sanchez

Allegations: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that the Mexican cuisine restaurant and shareholder Lorenzo Sanchez, who managed day-to-day operations of the Mansfield, Ohio, establishment, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

OAK CREEK, Wis. — A 30-year-old temporary employee required extensive surgery after suffering burns and lacerations of tendons and ligaments in her right hand after she used a cutting and sealing machine at a frozen bread manufacturer that supplies products to Costco Wholesale Corp., IGA, Piggly Wiggly and others.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found that Joseph Campione Inc., a food distributor in Oak Creek, ignored safety requirements to protect workers from moving machine parts.

Employer name: Wayne Ansley, doing business as Ansley Metal Fabrication and Repair, Cairo, Georgia

Inspection site: 615 West 3rd Street, Donalsonville, Georgia 39845

Date citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on July 27, 2015. At the time of the inspection, workers were installing metal roofing panels on a new structure.

Contract Filling Inc. faces $50K in OSHA fines for 8 serious violations

Employer name: Contract Filling Inc., a contract manufacturer of fragrances and cosmetics.

Inspection site: 10 Cliffside Drive, Cedar Grove, New Jersey 07009

Employer name: Jasper Contractors Inc., Jacksonville, Florida

Inspection sites: 12357 Boston Harbor Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32225.

Date citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on July 24, 2015. The inspection was initiated on March 4, 2015, after the agency received two complaints concerning employees working on a residential roof without safety protection.

Who: Mine Safety and Health Administration

What: The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that federal inspectors issued 139 citations, three orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections in June at 10 coal mines and five metal and nonmetal mines.

Where: MSHA conducted impact inspections at mines in Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Employer name: Zareena Investments Inc. doing business as Super Cleaners

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Date citations issued: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the citations on July 22. The inspection was opened after the company failed to provide documentation to show they had corrected violations cited on a July 17, 2014, safety and health inspection

Employer name: Shoreline Foundation Inc.

Inspection site: 1 East, 11th Street, Riviera Beach, Florida 33404

Date citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on July 23, 2015.

ALBANY, N.Y. — The death of an employee at International Paper Co.'s Ticonderoga plant could have been prevented if his employer provided proper safeguards and training, an inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined.

WASHINGTON — In honor of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez released the following statement:

ARLINGTON, Va. — Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main today issued the following statement on the passing of black lung research physician Dr. Donald Rasmussen:

"The coal mining community has lost one of its most passionate advocates with the passing of Dr. Donald Rasmussen yesterday. Treating coal miners afflicted with black lung disease became his life's mission. In fact, in a career spanning more than five decades, he tested tens of thousands of mine workers.

Employer: ASAP Auto Glass & Detailing

Site: Albuquerque, N.M.

Employer: Aloha House Inc., doing business as Maui Behavioral Health Resources.

Site: 200 Ike Drive, Makawao, Hawaii 96768

ARLINGTON, Va. — Along with enforcement and technical assistance, education and training is an essential component of the Mine Safety and Health Administration's mission. To assist mine operators and contractors in complying with federal regulations to report accidents, illnesses and injuries, MSHA has created a new interactive, online training tool.