June 22, 2021

US Department of Labor, stakeholders renew alliance to train, protect North Dakota workers from excavation, trenching hazards

BISMARCK, ND – To combat the dangers workers face in trenching and excavation operations, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and key stakeholders renewed an alliance to train workers on trenching and excavation hazards.

June 21, 2021

US Department of Labor awards more than $85.5M to improve employment outcomes for people now or once involved in criminal justice system

WASHINGTON, DC – With the belief that a second chance can change a person’s life, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $85.5 million in grants to assist individuals now or once involved in the criminal justice system to secure employment in their communities.

June 21, 2021

US Department of Labor announces proposed rulemaking to protect tipped workers; clarify use of the tip credit

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to limit the amount of non-tip producing work that a tipped employee can perform when an employer is taking a tip credit.

June 17, 2021

US Postal Service failed to prevent blocked, obstructed exits, other safety violations at Lehigh Valley facility

BETHLEHEM, PA – A federal workplace safety inspection of a U.S. Postal Service location in Hanover Township found employees exposed to potentially serious and fatal injuries in the event of an emergency.

June 17, 2021

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending June 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 412,000, an increase of 37,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 376,000 to 375,000. The 4-week moving average was 395,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 402,500 to 403,000.

June 16, 2021

OSHA cites Bronx contractor after 21-year-old laborer erecting scaffolding suffers deadly fall at Brooklyn building project

BROOKLYN, NY – Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in construction, a fact sadly illustrated by the death of a 21-year-old laborer, who fell nearly 50 feet as he installed a supported tubular welded frame scaffold during construction of a seven-story Brooklyn building.

June 15, 2021

Inspección federal descubre que fabricante de tortillas de San Marcos expuso a sus trabajadores repetidamente a peligros de amputación

SAN MARCOS, TX –Las inspecciones previas de la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (OSHA por sus siglas en inglés) del Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos han dado a los operadores de una fábrica familiar de tortillas al sur de Austin todas las oportunidades para resolver sus problemas de seguridad.

June 15, 2021

Federal inspection finds San Marcos tortilla manufacturer repeatedly exposing workers to amputation dangers

SAN MARCOS, TX – Previous inspections by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration have given the operators of a family owned tortilla factory south of Austin every opportunity to resolve its safety issues. Yet, OSHA has found the company still exposing workers to the risks of amputation and other serious injuries.

June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor announces funding availability of $1.5M in grants to better inform women about labor rights, benefits

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1.5 million funding opportunity available to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to develop partnerships with community-based organizations and other non-profits to conduct outreach to women workers to help them understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace. The fund will support up to six grants.

June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers more than $1M for 362 gas pipeline workers in five states after federal court affirms investigation’s findings

BLUE BELL, PA – Following a Pennsylvania federal court order that upheld the findings of a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, oil and gas industry contractor Henkels & McCoy Inc. paid more than $1 million in back wages to hundreds of employees for violating worker protection laws.

June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor reminds North Dakota construction contractors that protecting workers from falls is a matter of life, death

BISMARCK, ND – Spurred by its significant population growth in the past decade, North Dakota experienced the nation’s largest increase in housing units – nearly 20 percent – over the same period. As the demand for new homes brings more jobs and construction projects to the state, employers must be vigilant in protecting workers from hazards on construction work sites.

June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor cites Rhode Island medical practice, owner for exposing employees to coronavirus in North Providence, West Greenwich

PROVIDENCE, RI – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the owner-operator of four Rhode Island medical facilities for failing to protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus and implement proper safety measures after six employees tested positive for the virus in the fall of 2020.

June 14, 2021

US Department of Labor honors Montana safety professionals group for continued commitment to workplace safety, health

BILLINGS, MT The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has named the American Society of Safety Professionals’ Big Sky Chapter an OSHA Alliance Program Ambassador in recognition of its partnership with OSHA and commitment to addressing workplace safety and health hazards in Montana.

June 14, 2021

OSHA initiative seeks to protect manufacturing workers in Midwest facilities from hazardous noise levels

CHICAGO ‒ Nearly one in 10 people endure noise levels at work loud enough to cause hearing loss while seven in 10 experience moderately loud noise levels, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet, the bureau’s Occupational Requirements Survey, published in 2019, found that more than half of the nation’s manufacturing workers reported not using personal protective equipment to protect their hearing.

June 11, 2021

US Department of Labor outlines upcoming worker-centered protections in Biden-Harris administration Spring 2021 Regulatory Agenda

WASHINGTON, DC – A mother of two struggles to budget for child care expenses on an hourly income of $11.50 as a call center worker with a federal contractor. A construction company owner learns they’ve lost another federal contract because a competitor was able to underbid the job by not paying livable wages. Socially conscious investors want to maximize their savings and do the planet some good, but are frustrated by the investment options available to do that.

June 10, 2021

La OSHA del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. emite estatuto temporal de emergencia para proteger a trabajadores de salud contra el coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC La Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. ha emitido un estatuto temporal de emergencia para proteger a los trabajadores de salud contra el coronavirus. El estatuto se enfoca en trabajadores de salud con más probabilidad de entrar en contacto con alguien infectado con el virus.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor presents 2021 Iqbal Masih Award to Norma Flores López, International Labour Organization

WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced the joint winners of the 2021 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor during a virtual ceremony.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor awards nearly $20M to expand workforce development activities in out-of-school time organizations

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of nearly $20 million in grants to four national out-of-school time organizations to expand local work readiness programs and support workforce development activities among these organizations’ local affiliates. Out-of-School Time organizations operate supervised programs for youth when school is not in session.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor awards $89M in YouthBuild grants to support education, occupational skills development

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the award of $89 million in grants in 31 states and Puerto Rico to help youth ages 16-24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the labor market to obtain employment in construction and other in-demand industries.