BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio – Less than a year after federal inspectors cited an Ohio rubber-hose manufacturer for 11 machine safety violations, the company now faces an additional $70,000 in fines after safety lapses led a 27-year-old male worker to suffer severe injuries at its Bellefontaine plant.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor filed two separate federal lawsuits in Houston today alleging that two employers operating in the city illegally fired employees for making safety complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

Employer: Hibachi City Buffet, Inc.

Sites: 72600 Dinah Shore Drive, Palm Desert, California

BALTIMORE – Enterprise RAC Company of Baltimore, LLC, a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest vehicle rental companies and a federal contractor, is discriminating against African-American applicants pursuing entry-level management trainee positions, the U.S. Department of Labor alleges in a lawsuit filed recently.

CHICAGO ‒ As a 54-year-old worker, who fell more than 11 feet as he installed a roof joist, recovered from his injuries, federal inspectors investigating his fall on March 8, 2016, arrived two days later and found a co-worker about 40 feet off the ground without proper fall protection.

Employer: MMM Foundation Repair

Site: 10510 Aves St., Houston, Texas

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Federal workplace safety and health inspectors have cited a Massachusetts construction company after a worker suffered serious injuries after he fell almost 19 feet from a Portsmouth roof.

Responding to a complaint, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection of Paramo Daniela Construction of Brockton and found that the employer had:

In the week ending June 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 264,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 267,000 to 268,000. The 4-week moving average was 269,500, a decrease of 7,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 276,750 to 277,000.

Employer name: Motor Castings Company, West Allis, Wisconsin                                

Citations issued: May 26, 2016

Investigation findings: 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 published a Request for Information on approaches to control and monitor underground miners’ exposures to diesel exhaust. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Ashley Furniture, the nation’s largest retailer of home furnishings, have entered into a corporate wide settlement agreement that provides an effective framework for protecting workers from machine hazards.

BOSTON – A truck driver concerned he couldn’t complete his delivery from Massachusetts to New Jersey and back without violating federal safety regulations and putting himself and others at risk thought he’d devised a solution to deliver his cargo on-time and comply with the regulations. Instead of thanking him, his employer fired him.

Type of Action: Consent judgment

Defendant(s): Victor Paving and Construction Inc., and Victor Zeni

Resolution: Victor Paving and Construction Inc. will pay 11 employees $51,302 in back wages and an equal, additional amount in liquidated damages totaling $102,604  under the terms of a consent judgment entered in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on April 1, 2016.

Date of action: June 1, 2016

Type of action: Consent Judgment and Order

Name of Defendants: The Children’s Place Inc.; The Children’s Place Inc. Welfare Benefit Plan; Hendrik Johannes Lamprecht

Employer’s names: Allen’s Excavation Inc., Capital City Contracting LLC

Inspection site: 2037 Eastgate Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32308.

Employer name: Park Stein Inc., 613-614 Route 46 East, Clifton, New Jersey

Citations issued: On June 3, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one willful violation, eight repeat, five serious and two other-than-serious violations.

ATLANTA – As they recover from the impacts of Tropical Storm Colin and tornados, Florida’s emergency workers, employers, and the public at-large should be aware of the hazards they may encounter and take necessary steps to stay safe, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges.

State: West Virginia

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Previously Awarded Funds: $10,728,278

Incremental Amount Awarded: $4,318,182

Funding Awarded to: Workforce West Virginia

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 2,000

Employer: Leo’s Recycling, a Southern California recycling company

Sites: 9306 Cayuga Avenue, Sun Valley
22115 Sierra Highway, Sylmar
12210 Foothill Boulevard, Panorama City
11631 Victory Boulevard Panorama City
9110 Van Nuys Boulevard Panorama City

RICHMOND, Va. – A subsidiary of one of the world’s leading specialty chemical companies has entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to resolve allegations of race-based hiring discrimination.