December 30, 2014

ETA News Release: Additional funding awarded for Lummi Nation fishermen affected by fishing industry layoffs in Washington State [12/30/2014]

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.

December 30, 2014

ETA News Release: Additional funding awarded for Lummi Nation fishermen affected by fishing industry layoffs in Washington State [12/30/2014]

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.

December 29, 2014

OSHA News Release: Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom fail to protect young workers from heat hazards and illness, OSHA finds [12/29/2014]

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.

December 29, 2014

OSHA News Release: Exposing workers to electrical shock and other hazards yields fines of $66,400 for Troy, Texas, manufacturer [12/29/2014]

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.

December 29, 2014

MSHA News Release: MSHA announces results of its 16 November impact inspections [12/29/2014]

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.

December 24, 2014

US Labor Department files complaint seeking restoration of pension funds to the Bar-K 401(k) Plan in Lafayette, California

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:

December 24, 2014

US Labor Department files complaint seeking restoration of pension funds to the Bar-K 401(k) Plan in Lafayette, California

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:

December 23, 2014

OSHA News Release: Proframing Contractors repeatedly exposes roofers to potentially fatal fall hazards [12/23/2014]

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.

December 23, 2014

OSHA News Release: West Monroe, Louisiana, packaging plant worker suffers serious hand injury as dangerous hazards are ignored [12/23/2014]

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.

December 23, 2014

OSHA News Release: OSHA cites The Davey Tree Expert Co. for again ignoring vehicle rollover hazard leading to fatal injury of tree trimmer [12/23/2014]

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.

December 22, 2014

OSHA News Release: OSHA cites Robertson Incorporated Bridge and Grading Division after 16-year-old laborer dies at Delta, Missouri, construction site [12/22/2014]

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.

December 22, 2014

ILAB News Release: World Vision receives $10M US Labor Department grant to combat exploitative child labor in Ethiopia [12/22/2014]

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.

December 22, 2014

ILAB News Release: Funds to help build the capacity of labor inspectorates in Peru and the Philippines announced by US Labor Department [12/22/2014]

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.

December 19, 2014

EBSA News Release: Obama administration publishes proposed rule on excepted benefits [12/19/2014]

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.

December 18, 2014

WHD News Release: US Labor Department extends building and heavy construction wage survey in Maine [12/18/2014]

PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division announced today that it would extend the completion date to April 30, 2015, for an ongoing building and heavy construction wage survey sent to contractors and others. The survey will collect data on wages paid to laborers and mechanics on building and heavy construction projects in Maine between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014.

December 18, 2014

WHD News Brief: Maine flooring contractor paying $52K in back wages to 42 underpaid employees [12/18/2014]

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.

December 18, 2014

OSHA News Release: OSHA cites Basic Grain Products after 2 workers injured at Coldwater, Ohio, rice-cake plant [12/18/2014]

COLDWATER, Ohio — In response to a complaint of an electrical shock injury, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that a 20-year employee was injured while he performed service work on an electrical panel at a Coldwater rice-cake manufacturer. Following the investigation, OSHA has cited Basic Grain Products Inc. for two repeated and five serious safety violations.

December 18, 2014

OSHA News Release: M. Durrance Construction of Jacksonville, Florida, cited for willfully exposing workers to dangerous falls [12/18/2014]

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — M. Durrance Construction Inc. of Jacksonville was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exposing workers to dangerous falls during framing work at a residence on Hawthorn Way in Orange Park. The October 2014 inspection was initiated as part of the agency's Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.

December 18, 2014

OSHA News Release: OSHA investigation finds workers exposed to lead, copper fumes at Republic Metals in Cleveland [12/18/2014]

CLEVELAND — A complaint that alleged unsafe work conditions at Republic Metals Inc. resulted in U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors uncovering dangerous levels of lead and copper fumes. The investigation found that the company failed to implement engineering controls and maintain areas free of lead dust and accumulation. The Aug.