April 19, 2016

OSHA cites world’s largest sauerkraut cannery after worker falls into vat

BEAR CREEK, Wis. – A Wisconsin food cannery faces $143,550 in federal penalties after a 35-year-old worker fell more than 17 feet into an empty sauerkraut vat and broke multiple bones. The inspection that followed was the fourth time since 2011 that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited GLK Foods LLC for failing to protect workers from fall and machine hazards.

April 18, 2016

Federal court finds City National Corp. engaged in self-dealing in its 401(k) profit-sharing plan

LOS ANGELES – In a sweeping decision, a federal judge in Los Angeles has found that City National Corporation violated employee retirement laws when it chose its own staff to administer its employee retirement plan in exchange for millions of dollars of unchecked, unreasonably high compensation.

April 18, 2016

Elgin roofing contractor continues to risk workers’ safety

ELGIN, Ill. ‒ Despite the fact that preventable falls account for nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the construction industry, some employers continue to ignore the dangers and put their workers at serious risk.

April 18, 2016

US Labor Department files suit to debar forest maintenance company from future federal contracts for repeatedly failing to pay workers

Date of Action: April 12, 2016

Type of Action: Lawsuit seeking debarment from future government contract awards

Name of Defendant: Carney W. Potter, doing business as Arrowhead Starr Co. and Carney W. Potter, individually, in Plainview, Arkansas. Arrowhead Starr is a forest maintenance contractor that provides reforestation services to the federal government.

April 18, 2016

Bay Area human resources provider to pay $1 million in back wages, damages to more than 260 employees denied overtime pay

SAN FRANCISCO – A San Leandro-based human resources outsource provider will pay $1 million in back overtime wages and damages combined to hundreds of employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that found widespread Fair Labor Standards Act violations.

April 18, 2016

Nashville restaurant, owners agree to pay $175K to 44 employees to resolve federal allegations of minimum wage, overtime violations

Employer name: Los Arcos Seafood & Grill Inc., doing business as Los Arcos Mexican Grill & Seafood Jose Gutierrez, Jr.
Martin Romo

Investigation site: 3798 Nolensville Road, Nashville, Tennessee 37211

April 15, 2016

OSHA inspection finds Mississippi Dollar General store continues to expose workers to safety hazards despite recent citations, penalties

Employer name: Dollar General Corp.

Inspection site: 34300 Mississippi Highway 35, Vaiden, Mississippi 39176

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on April 8 for four repeated and one serious safety violation.

April 14, 2016

OSHA levies $80K in fines for Quick Roofing for repeatedly exposing Conroe, Texas, workers to falls, ladder hazards, eye injuries

Employer name: Quick Roofing LLC

Inspection Site: 628 Maple Point Drive, Conroe, Texas

Citations issued: April 14, 2016

April 14, 2016

Call center provider to pay $150K in back wages for misclassifying hundreds of employees as independent contractors – denying minimum wage, overtime

Employer: ViaSource Solutions Inc., formerly INW Contact LLC, a call-center provider to businesses that market products on television infomercials

Location: 223 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 222, Thousand Oaks, California

April 14, 2016

OSHA finds Cooper Hospital exposed employees to needle-stick injuries, bloodborne pathogen hazards

Employer’s name: Cooper University Hospital

Inspection site: One Cooper Plaza, Camden, New Jersey

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Cooper Hospital for nine serious and six other-than-serious  safety and health violations.

April 14, 2016

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending April 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 253,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 267,000 to 266,000. The 4-week moving average was 265,000, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 250 from 266,750 to 266,500.

April 13, 2016

Department files suit to appoint independent fiduciary to distribute $753K in 401(k) assets of defunct New Jersey marketing company

Date of Action: April 13, 2016

Name(s) of Defendants: Interactive Marketing Group Inc. 401(k) Profit-Sharing Plan

April 12, 2016

Struck-by, amputation hazards to Houston workers lead OSHA to levy $172K in fines against Alfa Laval, global manufacturer

Employer name: Alfa Laval Inc., global manufacturer of technologies in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling

Inspection Site: 12249-B FM 529, Houston, Texas

Citations issued: April 11, 2016

April 12, 2016

Five times in one year, Jasper Contractors expose workers to dangerous falls, other workplace violations

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Recent federal inspections of Florida construction sites finds Jasper Contractors Inc., a Georgia-based roofing company, is continuing its seven-year history of ignoring safety and health laws and putting workers at risk of serious injury or death.

April 12, 2016

OSHA fines humanitarian relief company in Lubbock after amputation

Employer name: Breedlove Foods Inc.

Location: 1818 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., Lubbock, Texas

Date Citation Issued: April 12, 2016

April 12, 2016

OSHA finds dozen violations at Becton, Dickinson and Co. in Holdrege after two workers suffer finger amputations

HOLDREGE, Neb. ‒ After two workers suffered partial amputations of their index fingers in separate incidents in October 2015, federal investigators found numerous machines lacked safety guards at the Holdrege facility of Becton, Dickinson and Company, a global medical technology company.

April 11, 2016

OSHA clarifies maritime offshore reporting requirements

PORTLAND, OREGON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminds employers that the agency covers safety and health conditions not specifically covered by the U.S. Coast Guard on all vessels within three nautical miles of shore. 

April 11, 2016

US Labor Department sues Maryland construction contractor to recover unpaid contributions to employees’ 401(k) profit-sharing plan

Date of Action: April 1, 2016

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendants: Carlos R. Calderon
C.R. Calderon Construction Inc.
Contractors and Employees 401(k) Profit-Sharing Plan

April 11, 2016

Merced County adult residential care provider to pay $43K in back wages

Employer: C and D’s Guest Homes, Inc., provider of residential care services for adults with developmental disabilities, doing business as C and D’s Guest Home and New Horizon’s Residential