MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Labor Department investigation has resulted in the debarment of Garcia Forest Service LLC, and its president, Samuel Garcia, from eligibility for further service contracts with any U.S. government agency for three years.

Roeder Construction ignores safety requirements at residential jobsite

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — A 42-year-old worker fell 16 feet to his death and a 25-year-old co-worker suffered serious injuries after their employer, Roeder Construction, failed to provide either man with fall protection as they worked on a roof, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined.

FORT DODGE, Iowa — Canadian National Railway, doing business as Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad, has been found in violation of the Federal Railroad Safety Act by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for disciplining an employee at its Fort Dodge Yard complex for taking doctor-ordered time off.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Serious safety and health violations for exposing workers to dangerous welding fumes and other hazards has prompted citations for Dixie Tank Co. in Jacksonville. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the company for 23 safety and health violations, including exposing full-time and temporary workers to health hazards from exposure to the toxic chemical hexavalent chromium in excess of federal standards.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — Absolute Waste Removal has been found in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for wrongfully terminating a truck driver for raising safety concerns during the reorganization of company routes. Headquartered in Clear Lake, Absolute Waste Removal was ordered to reinstate the driver to his former position with all pay, benefits and rights, in addition to paying back wages of $23,203, plus interest.

FRANKFORT, Ill. — Rogers Roofing Inc. has been issued citations for two safety violations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exposing workers to fall hazards at a residential site on Feb. 28. Proposed penalties for the company, which has been cited by OSHA six times in the past six years for similar violations, total $44,660.

HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited American Sheet Metal Co. for failing to correct safety hazards. OSHA addressed these hazards — which included exposing employees to dangerous unguarded machinery — in a previous inspection. The company's Houston facility received four failure-to-abate violations, with a proposed penalty of $124,000.

DALLAS — To enhance workplace safety and health for workers in North Texas, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration signed two alliance agreements today with the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association and the Workers Defense Project in Dallas to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day.

SEATTLE — The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a court order from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington that temporarily freezes the account balance of Brenda Lukas-Jones, former president of Lukas Machine Inc., in the company's 401(k) profit sharing plan and trust. On April 14, the department filed a complaint against Lukas Machine Inc., Lukas-Jones and others, alleging that they had violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act between April 2008 and October 2011, causing more than $41,000 in losses to the 401(k) plan.

MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Labor Department investigation has resulted in the debarment of Garcia Forest Service LLC, and its president, Samuel Garcia, from eligibility for further service contracts with any U.S. government agency for three years.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $5,639,376 National Emergency Grant supplemental award to continue providing services to workers affected by layoffs and mine closures occurring within the coal mining industry in West Virginia.

"This supplemental funding will continue to serve workers in the coal mining industry who have been impacted by a job loss, giving them access to critical training and job search services," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Union Pacific Railroad has been ordered to reinstate an injured employee and pay the worker more than $85,000 in damages following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA found that the company, based in Omaha, Neb., was in violation of the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act for terminating an employee following the reporting of a workplace injury that occurred at the company's North Platte, Neb., terminal.

BILLINGS, Mont. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Cenex Harvest States Inc. for 19 violations of workplace safety and health standards, including 14 serious, three repeat and two other-than-serious violations, at grain-handling facilities in Montana. The company faces $211,000 in proposed fines as a result of four inspections at Montana facilities in Cut Bank, Glendive, Denton and Valier.

SALEM, Ohio — Metal & Wire Products Co. Inc., which manufactures metal parts for recreational vehicles, has been cited for 25 safety and health violations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration at its Salem facility. Proposed penalties total $72,800. OSHA's complaint investigation found several violations of machine guarding and lockout/tag out procedures, which protect workers from lacerations, caught-in and amputation hazards.

WASHINGTON — At today's anniversary celebration of Joining Forces, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced the launch of a new integrated employment tool to connect veterans and service members with employers, and to help translate military skills into the civilian workforce.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of State, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Agency for International Development today issued the following statement on the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse:

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the release of a final rule to lower miners' exposure to respirable coal mine dust in all underground and surface coal mines. The final rule continues the department's efforts through its End Black Lung — Act Now! initiative to end black lung disease, a debilitating illness that continues to affect coal miners and their families.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services today issued a Request for Information soliciting feedback to better align federal grants and services in order to develop high-quality career pathways programs for job training participants. This inter-agency collaboration builds on President Obama's focus on job-driven training to improve the federal workforce system for the 21st century.

MAPLETON, ND. — Kuechle Underground Inc. has been cited with one willful safety violation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to protect workers from cave-in hazards. OSHA initiated the inspection after an employee's leg was broken when a trench wall collapsed while he was installing residential sewer lines in Mapleton.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Workers' Memorial Day 2014 will be commemorated by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration Kansas City Area Office with two events to remember those who have been injured or have died on the job.