August 15, 2016

OSHA finds Clifton company again exposes employees to life-threatening falls at a Bergen County work site, proposes $79K in fines

Employer name: Furia Roofing Co. Inc., 2 Monhegan St., Clifton, New Jersey

Inspection site: 699 Route 46 East, Teterboro, New Jersey         

Citations issued: On Aug. 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one repeat and three serious violations.

August 11, 2016

US Labor Department obtains default judgment against former fiduciary of Sommet Group Employee Benefit Plan in Tennessee

Date of Action: July 15, 2016

Type of Action: Default judgment

Name of Defendant(s): Sommet Group LLC
L. Brian Whitfield
D. Edwin Todd
Sommet Group LLC Employee Benefit Plan

August 11, 2016

OSHA finds Illinois trailer manufacturer continues to expose workers to risk of injuries from machine, welding hazards

NEWARK, Ill. – For the second time in two years, federal safety inspectors found workers risking amputations and other serious injuries as they fed parts by hand into an unguarded mechanical press brake at an Illinois trailer manufacturing plant. They also found the company failed to protect welders and other employees from harmful ray emissions during welding operations.

August 11, 2016

US mine safety agency issues safety alert for drill operators

ARLINGTON, Va. – Mine drill operators face their share of on-the-job risks. Failing to follow safe drilling practices can lead to fatal outcomes, as has been the case in recent years. In April 2014, a 53-year-old miner died in an underground gold mine in Elko County, Nevada, after his clothing caught in a jackleg drill.

August 11, 2016

US Department of Labor revokes Buckhannon nonprofit’s federal wage exemption for improperly paying workers with disabilities

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has revoked a West Virginia nonprofit’s ability to pay less than the current federal minimum wage to workers with disabilities after federal investigations found the organization violated provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act.

August 11, 2016

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending August 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 266,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 269,000 to 267,000. The 4-week moving average was 262,750, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 260,250 to 259,750.

August 10, 2016

US Labor Department sues SoCal drywall company to recover back wages, damages for approximately 1,500 employees; halt chronic overtime violations

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit filing

Name of Defendants: West Coast Drywall & Company Inc.
Mark D. Herbert
Santos Garcia

August 10, 2016

Court finds $36K owed to employee retirement plan by president of Philadelphia public accounting firm is non-dischargeable in bankruptcy

Date of Action: Aug. 5, 2016

Type of Action: Consent order entered into court

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Howard C. Lapensohn

Allegations: An investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration found:

August 9, 2016

US Labor Department announces $1.1M to study paid-leave programs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau today awarded $1.1 million in grants to research and analyze how paid-leave programs can be developed and implemented across the country. The grants build on the Paid Leave Analysis Grant Program that, since 2014, has committed more than $3 million to 17 states and municipalities to support research and analysis on the implementation of paid family and medical-leave programs.

August 9, 2016

OSHA finds Pennsylvania feed mill ignored previously identified severe combustible dust, grain-handling hazards, while dangers remain

Employer name: Mattocks Five Inc., doing business as Albion Mill

Inspection site: 73 Canal St., Albion, Pennsylvania

August 9, 2016

OSHA finds Scranton contractor continues to expose employees to serious, potentially fatal fall hazards at Yardley worksite

Employer name: Liberty Master, Inc., 903 Curtis Lane, Scranton, Pennsylvania

Inspection site: 1735 Mulberry Way, Yardley, Pennsylvania          

August 9, 2016

Kansas flooring company misclassifies installers as independent contractors, to pay nearly $160K in back wages, damages to 22 workers

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – An Overland Park flooring company that misclassified installers as independent contractors will pay 22 workers a total of $159,144 – representing $79,572 in back wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages – after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.

August 9, 2016

Warnings ignored, Dorchester roofing contractor repeatedly exposed employees to life-threatening fall hazards at Haverhill church

ANDOVER, Mass.  – Dorchester-based contractor Roof Kings LLC exposed employees to life-threatening falls – more than 45 feet off the ground – over a three-day period as they worked at a Haverhill church, federal workplace safety and health inspectors found.

August 8, 2016

OSHA finds US Postal facility exposed workers to asbestos hazards; agency proposes more than $49K in fines

Employer name: U.S. Postal Service
8182 State Road 56
West Baden Springs, Indiana

Citations issued: July 29, 2016

August 8, 2016

US Department of Labor, CalVans partner to expand safe farmworker transportation plan at Fresno event

FRESNO, Calif. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and the California Vanpool Authority will sign a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the use of the authority’s CalVans fleet – based on the demand from growers, packers and farm labor contractors – to ensure safe and reliable transportation for Central Valley farmworkers to and from the fields every day. The event coincides with the anniversary of an infamous vehicle accident that killed 13 farmworkers in the region in 1999.

August 8, 2016

OSHA finds US Steel again exposed workers to asbestos hazards at Pittsburgh coke production facility, fines company $170K

PITTSBURGH – Twice in about a month, United States Steel Corp. gave seven employees tasks that exposed them to asbestos, a widely recognized hazard associated with serious and fatal health risks including lung cancer, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

August 8, 2016

Colorado residents should avoid unsafe, uninsured ‘storm chasers’ or risk further damage, injury liability, fatality lawsuits

DENVER – After hailstorms in residential areas, roofing contractors may come knocking – offering to make repairs on damaged roofs. Homeowners anxious to protect their property and their wallets should be aware that some companies put profits before their employees’ safety and well-being, and could wind up costing their customers even more.

August 8, 2016

OSHA finds New Jersey rifle manufacturer deemed a ‘severe violator’ in 2012 continues to expose workers to noise hazards at Bayonne facility

Employer name: Henry RAC Holding Corp.

Inspection site: 59 East 1st St., Bayonne, New Jersey        

August 5, 2016

Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on July employment numbers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the July 2016 Employment Situation report released today:

August 4, 2016

Anchorage comic book, game retailer cited for child labor violations

Employer:  Bosco’s Inc.

Sites: 2301 Spenard Road, Anchorage, Alaska
800 E. Dimond Blvd., Suite #162, Anchorage, Alaska