ARLINGTON, Va. — Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration indicates that 40 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation's mines in 2014, two fewer than in the previous year.* Coal mining deaths dropped from 20 in 2013 to 16 in 2014, the lowest annual number of coal mining deaths ever recorded in the United States. The previous record low was 18 in 2009.

Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, temporary staffing company also receives fines

OSHA cites Liberty, Texas, employer for 18 violations; fines total $283,600

EVANSTON, Ill. — Workers from six separate companies renovating Chute Middle School's cafeteria in Evanston were exposed to asbestos, lead and electrical hazards, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Illinois Department of Public Health has determined.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an $882,032 National Emergency Grant supplemental award to provide continued employment-related services to approximately 630 workers affected by fishing industry layoffs in the Lummi Nation, a tribal government with more than 5,000 members in Bellingham, Wash.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an $882,032 National Emergency Grant supplemental award to provide continued employment-related services to approximately 630 workers affected by fishing industry layoffs in the Lummi Nation, a tribal government with more than 5,000 members in Bellingham, Wash.

TROY, Texas — Twice in 18 months, C & H Die Casting Inc. has exposed workers to safety hazards, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found, leading the agency to cite the Troy-based company for 15 serious safety and health standards violations with proposed penalties of $66,400.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Seasonally-employed workers, mostly teen employees, hired as outdoor and food stand staff at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, were exposed to heat hazards during their summer employment, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 199 citations and 19 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines in November.

Date of Action:  December 19, 2014

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Bar-K Inc.; Walter Ng; Bruce Horwitz; and Bar-K 401(k) Plan

Allegations: Based on an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Secretary of Labor filed a complaint alleging the following:

Date of Action:  December 19, 2014

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Bar-K Inc.; Walter Ng; Bruce Horwitz; and Bar-K 401(k) Plan

Allegations: Based on an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Secretary of Labor filed a complaint alleging the following:

Date of Action: Dec. 23, 2014

Type of Action: Complaint

GAHANNA, Ohio — In the past eight years, Proframing Contractors Inc. was cited for 10 violations when it allowed employees to work on roofs without fall protection and then refused to pay the majority of its associated penalties from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. On Oct. 24, 2014, OSHA inspectors again observed three company employees who worked at heights of up to 20 feet without fall protection on a commercial building in Gahanna.

CLAYSBURG, Pa. — A 21-year-old tree trimmer employed by The Davey Tree Expert Co. was fatally injured after a utility task vehicle ran over him at a Claysburg work site. First Energy Service Co. contracted the Kent, Ohio-based company to trim trees and remove other vegetation along power transmission lines.

BATON ROUGE, La. — After a Graphic Packaging International Inc. employee suffered a severe injury in June 2014 when the worker's hand was caught in a moving printing press, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the employer for 28 safety violations. Proposed penalties total $129,000.

DELTA, Mo. — A 16-year-old laborer was fatally struck by the swinging cab and boom of a crane being disassembled by Robertson Incorporated Bridge and Grading Division at a construction site in Delta on June 18, 2014. A U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation found the crane operator was unaware that the teen was directed to stand in an inadequately marked danger zone. The teen also was not provided required protective headgear.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced two grants to help strengthen workers' rights in Peru and the Philippines through technical assistance projects to build capacity at the labor inspectorates in those countries.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced the award of a $10 million cooperative agreement with World Vision to implement a project to address exploitative labor among youth in Ethiopia.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury are seeking public comment on proposed rules that would amend the definition of excepted benefits to include certain limited wraparound coverage.

Employer name: Paul G. White Tile Co., 444 Riverside Industrial Park, Portland, Maine 04107

Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that the company, which advertises itself as the leading flooring contractor in Maine and one of the largest in New England, underpaid 42 employees a total of $52,000.