April 7, 2015

WHD News Brief: Labor Department sues Magic Touch Cleaning, Inc. for back wages and damages due to underpaid janitorial workers [04/07/2015]

Date of Action: March 11, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: MAGIC TOUCH CLEANING, INC. and GARY WALKER, individually.

Allegations: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found Magic Touch Cleaning Inc., a janitorial services company in Lee's Summit, Missouri, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

April 7, 2015

WHD News Release: Jury awards more than $1.3M in back wages and damages to 101 former employees at defunct Bellingham businesses [04/07/2015]

SEATTLE — Although a Bellingham restaurant and a spa have closed, 101 workers once employed by the businesses will receive more than $1.3 million in back wages and damages, thanks to a Washington State jury. The decision is the result of a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that revealed numerous violations of federal labor law.

April 7, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA cites Global Construction & Engineering Inc. for exposing workers to safety hazards at Center Point, Alabama work site [04/07/2015]

Employer name: Global Construction & Engineering Inc.

Inspection site: At the time of the inspection, workers were installing sewer lines at 3025 Wood Drive Center Point, Alabama 35215.

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the Oct. 8, 2014 inspection as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation.

April 7, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Foundry workers exposed to numerous safety and health hazards [04/07/2015]

Employer name: American Spincast Inc.

Inspection site: Belton, Texas

April 7, 2015

WHD News Release: Jury awards more than $1.3M in back wages and damages to 101 former employees at defunct Bellingham businesses [04/07/2015]

SEATTLE — Although a Bellingham restaurant and a spa have closed, 101 workers once employed by the businesses will receive more than $1.3 million in back wages and damages, thanks to a Washington State jury. The decision is the result of a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that revealed numerous violations of federal labor law.

April 7, 2015

ETA News Release: $10M in grants available to improve workforce and education data collection [04/07/2015]

WASHINGTON — Building a better workforce system starts with having reliable data. With the passage of last year's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to encourage greater coordination between workforce and education programs, states have made important strides to integrate their programs. To further the progress, the U.S.

April 6, 2015

OSHA News Release: Metso Minerals exposes workers to serious hazards found in machine operations and welding steel [04/06/2015]

WARRENTON, Mo. — Twice in just 18 months, workers at Metso Minerals Industries Inc. were found in danger of suffering cuts, lacerations and amputation from dangerous machine hazards at the Warrenton metal-mesh manufacturer because their employer ignored important safety rules. Acting on a complaint, U.S.

April 6, 2015

OSHA News Release: Workers at a Springtown, Texas-based natural gas processing facility exposed to safety hazards [04/06/2015]

Employer name: Enbridge G&P (North Texas) L.P.

Site: Springtown, Texas

Date initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's began investigating the natural gas processing facility in October 2014.

April 6, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Workers risk 7-story fall while roofing Des Plaines, Illinois, condo building [04/06/2015]

DES PLAINES, Ill. — A construction crew installing roofing and heating and air-conditioning units on a seven-story Des Plaines condominium could have fallen because their employer did not provide protection required by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This was the sixth time since 2004 that Armor Shield Construction was found exposing workers to fall hazards. In 2010, OSHA placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

April 6, 2015

OSHA News Release: Three Massachusetts roofers hospitalized after substandard scaffold breaks [04/06/2015]

A.C. Castle/Daryl J. Provencher faces nearly $300K in OSHA fines

April 6, 2015

ETA News Release: YouthBuild grants totaling $76M available to help at-risk youth complete education, develop job and leadership skills [04/06/2015]

WASHINGTON — Getting an education and finding career success are plateaus out of reach for too many of our nation's youth. To help at-risk youth reach these goals, the U.S. Department of Labor sponsors the YouthBuild program. The program helps young people who left school early to complete high school or state equivalency degree programs, and learn critical job skills in demand in the construction, health care, information technology and other industries.

April 2, 2015

WHD News Brief: U.S. Labor Department lawsuit seeks back wages, damages for 2 recreational vehicle technicians in Coloma, Michigan [04/02/2015]

Date of Action: March 30, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Krenek Motors Inc., 6542 Ryno Rd, Coloma, MI 49038 d/b/a Krenek RV and Scott Krenek

April 2, 2015

WHD News Release: Honolulu electrical contractor owes workers more than $1.2M in back wages, submits false records and attempts to obstruct investigators [04/02/2015]

HONOLULU — A federal electrical contractor, Lighting Services Inc. will pay 38 electricians/technicians more than $1.2 million in back wages after U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division investigators determined the company did not pay required prevailing wages to workers at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay. The division also found the employer submitted falsified payrolls and told workers to provide false information to investigators.

April 2, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA cites South Carolina contractor for exposing workers to cave-in and struck-by hazards at work site in Pooler, Georgia [04/02/2015]

Employer name: Jordan Construction Co. of Hilton Head Inc.

Inspection site: At the time of the inspection, workers were installing sewer lines at the intersection of North and West Godley Station Roads, Pooler, Georgia 31322.

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the Oct. 8, 2014 inspection as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation.

April 2, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Workers exposed to asbestos hazards at A.M. Castle & Co. in Franklin Park [04/02/2015]

Employer name: A.M. Castle & Co.

Investigation site: 3400 N. Wolf Road, Franklin Park, IL, 60131

April 2, 2015

OSHA News Brief: USPS mail processing center again cited by OSHA for fire extinguisher, electrical violations at St. Louis facility [04/02/2015]

Employer name: United States Postal Service

Investigation site: 1720 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri

Date investigation initiated and what prompted inspection: On Jan.13, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection of a United States Postal Service mail processing site after receiving a complaint alleging unsafe working conditions at the facility.

April 2, 2015

OSHA News Release: Aluminum foundry exposes workers to chlorine gas and other hazards [04/02/2015]

Custom Alloy Sales 34P faces more than $160K in fines for 31 safety and health violations

PRESCOTT, Kan. — Workers risked exposure to dangerous chlorine gas while forging blocks of metal material at an aluminum foundry in Prescott because their employer did not train them on how to handle and store the gas, U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found. Improperly used, chlorine gas can cause severe respiratory damage.

April 2, 2015

OSHA News Release: Kroger allows forklift hazards at Columbus supermarket [04/02/2015]

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Millions of pounds of merchandise and materials are moved each year by forklift drivers, thousands of whom suffer severe injuries while navigating narrow aisles, fellow workers with heavy, sometimes shifting loads. The dangers facing those who drive or work around forklifts were on display at a Kroger Co. supermarket in Columbus, Ohio which now faces $130,900 in fines for several violations.

April 2, 2015

WHD News Release: US Labor Department expands its support of victims of human trafficking and other crimes [04/02/2015]

SEATTLE — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today announced that the labor department's Wage and Hour Division will begin to exercise its authority to certify applications for trafficking victims seeking "T" visas. The division will also certify "U" visa requests when it detects three additional qualifying criminal activities in the course of its workplace investigations: extortion, forced labor, and fraud in foreign labor contracting. The announcement was made at a roundtable on new American integration in Seattle hosted by OneAmerica.