FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A cubic foot of soil can weigh more than 100 pounds, and workers caught beneath a few feet of soil can be seriously — or fatally — injured. A 19-year-old pipe layer in a Van Dyne farm field was exposed to dangerous cave-in hazards while installing a drain tile in an unprotected trench more than 5 feet deep.

PLAINFIELD, Ill. — Workers separating circuit boards at a Plainfield electronics recycling facility were found to be overexposed to high airborne concentrations of lead and cadmium, putting them at high risk for long-term damage to the central nervous, urinary, blood and reproductive systems.

Employer name: Kremer's Guns LLC, Celina, Ohio

Citations received: Sept. 26, 2015

Employer name: K&N Contracting Inc., 2976 Wills Creek, Elkview, West Virginia. The inspection site was the Elkview Baptist Church, where workers were installing new roof shingles.

Citations issued: On September 21, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the company one willful and four serious safety citations.

WOOD RIVER, Ill. — A 55-year-old carman fell more than 12 feet to the ground after his aerial lift collapsed. The worker had been standing on an elevated platform to install a canopy on a railcar, but the platform could not support his weight.

Employer name: Corn Island Shipyard Inc., Grandview, Indiana

Citations issued: Sept. 28, 2015

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Indianapolis Area Office cited the company for five repeated, 14 serious and three other-than-serious safety and health violations, as a result of a March 2015 follow-up inspection.

Employer name: Dollar General Corp., headquartered at 100 Mission Ridge, Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The two inspected stores are located at 421 Main Street in Madison, West Virginia, and 790 Main Street in West Milford, West Virginia.

Citations issued: On September 21, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued both stores citations for two repeat violations.

HOMERVILLE, Ga. — A 33-year-old woman had two fingers amputated as she used a mechanical power press for the first time without proper training or safety guards at the Homerville facility, federal inspectors have determined.

State: Massachusetts

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Total Amount Approved: $1,968,992

Initial Award Amount: $808,693

Awarded to: Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 150

WASHINGTON — To ensure that public workforce systems evolve to serve the needs of job seekers and businesses alike, the U.S. Department of Labor is awarding more than $35 million in grants to support and study federally funded employment and training programs.

Who: U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration

What: The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that federal inspectors issued 193 citations and 13 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 14 coal mines and seven metal and nonmetal mines in August.

Where: MSHA conducted special impact inspections at mines in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Employer name: Sterling Technologies Inc., 10047 Keystone Drive, Lake City, PA

Citations issued: On September 22, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Sterling Technologies one general duty clause citation for exposing employees to heat stress conditions and one additional serious safety citation.

Date of action: July 22, 2015

Type of action: Default Judgment and Order

Name of defendants: G&H Technology Inc. 401 (k) Retirement Savings Plan; XAF Inc., a Delaware corporation

Allegations: Based on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the department filed a civil complaint against XAF Inc., asking for the distribution of more than $310,000 in assets to the remaining participants in the 401(k) plan.

OSHA's investigation found 44 safety violations, including one willful

Employer name: Aluminum Shapes LLC, 9000 River Road, Delair, New Jersey.

HOUSTON — In one of the largest recoveries of overtime wages in recent years for the U.S. Department of Labor, oil and gas service provider, Halliburton, has agreed to pay $18,293,557 to 1,016 employees nationwide. The department's Wage and Hour Division investigated Halliburton as part of an ongoing, multi-year compliance initiative in the oil and gas industry in the Southwest and Northeast.

Employer: Bliss Roofing Inc.

Site: 14430 S.E. 98th Court, Clackamas, Oregon 97015

ATLANTA — An Atlanta restauranteur who is alleged to have cheated his workers out of their wages for years and threatened them if they cooperated with federal officials investigating his business conduct, has agreed to pay 60 employees a total of $329,445 in back wages and liquidated damages for violating their wage rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Owner refused inspection until judge issued contempt order

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a judge issued a contempt order forcing a Kansas City foundry owner to allow an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection, the agency has cited Martin Foundry Co. for exposing workers to lead hazards.

Employer name: Juniper Elbow Co. Inc., doing business as Juniper Industries Inc., a metal products manufacturer located at 72-15 Metropolitan Ave. in the Middle Village section of Queens, New York.

Citations issued: On Sept. 9, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for 4 repeat and 11 serious violations of workplace safety standards.