AUGUSTA, ME – A federal investigation into the release of a deadly gas at a Baileyville-based wood pulp mill found that the employer exposed workers to safety and health hazards that resulted in the death of two workers.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that on Jan. 27, 2026, Woodland Pulp LLC workers were performing a cold weather shutdown causing exposure to high concentrations of deadly, uncontrolled, hydrogen sulfide gas. Two employees died from the exposure.

OSHA also investigated a March 7, 2026, chemical fire at Woodland Pulp that started after the employer released 4,400 gallons of 50 percent hydrogen peroxide that mixed with wood pulp that had accumulated on the ground. 

Woodland Pulp received four willful citations for exposing workers to deadly hydrogen sulfide gas levels without proper alarms or breathing devices and allowing overflow wood pulp to build up in storage areas. The employer also received eight serious citations for lack of worker training on hydrogen peroxide risks; failure to conduct medical evaluations and fit tests for respirator users; and neglecting to label chlorine and acid lines, or control hydrogen sulfide exposure risks. 

OSHA proposed $794,456 in penalties.

The employer has been inspected 13 times since 2017 resulting in 13 serious and one other-than-serious citation, including an inspection started in 2017 when 14 employees were taken to the hospital after a chemical exposure in the same area covered by the current inspections.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 

Hydrogen sulfide, also known as H2S and sewer gas, is a colorless gas known for its powerful rotten egg odor. It is extremely flammable and highly toxic. Used or produced in several industries, hydrogen sulfide also occurs naturally in sewers, manure pits, well water, and oil and gas wells. Visit OSHA’s website for more information on how hydrogen sulfide can affect your health, and how to prevent harmful exposures.

Visit OSHA’s website for information on developing a workplace safety and health program. Employers can also contact the agency for information about OSHA’s compliance assistance resources and for free help on complying with OSHA standards. 

ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Florida roofing company for willfully putting workers at risk of falling at residential construction sites. 

Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that on Jan. 21, 2026, Orchids Builders LLC exposed workers to a 10-foot fall hazard when it failed to provide them with fall protection while they installed sheathing on a sloped roof at a Rockledge worksite. On March 10, 2026, OSHA investigators found the employer exposed a worker to a 9-foot fall hazard while installing metal hurricane clips at another Rockledge worksite. 

OSHA also found that Orchids Builders failed to prepare and maintain written fall protection training certificates for employees at both worksites, did not ensure workers had eye protection while using nail guns,  exposing them to eye injuries, and allowed workers to use ladders with side rails that did not extend at least 36 inches above the roof landing, increasing the likelihood and risk of a fall.

OSHA cited the employer for two willful and four repeat violations and proposed $349,754 in penalties. Orchids Builders LLC has been inspected seven times since 2023 and all the cases included fall protection violations.

It has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Please check the OSHA establishment search page periodically for any changes in the inspection or penalty status.  

OSHA’s fall prevention webpage includes a free and downloadable fall protection guide. Employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.

HOUSTON – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation concluded that a Houston utility construction company exposed employees to safety hazards after an excavation collapse hospitalized a worker.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an investigation into Blazey Construction Services LLC following the incident, which occurred while crews were installing sewer and water pipes for a residential development in Alvin, Texas. OSHA determined that the employer failed to adequately protect the excavation, provide a safe means of egress, and report the hospitalization within 24 hours as required by federal law. 

OSHA cited Blazey Construction Services for two repeat violations and one other-than-serious violation and proposed $343,797 in proposed penalties.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Please check the OSHA establishment search page periodically for any changes in the inspection or penalty status.

Learn more about OSHA, including information on excavation safety standards. In addition, employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor has cited big rig parts distributer FleetPride Inc. for 16 serious safety violations after an investigation into a worker fatality found the company exposed workers to confined space and other safety hazards.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection into FleetPride on Jan. 7, 2026, after an employee asphyxiated while inspecting a tanker trailer. OSHA cited the company for 16 serious and three other-than-serious safety violations, which include failure to implement a confined space program, lacking elements for its respiratory protection program, and exposing workers to electrical hazards. 

OSHA has proposed $264,380 in penalties for the cited violations.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s Area Director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Please check the OSHA establishment search page periodically for any changes in the inspection or penalty status.

Learn more about OSHA, including confined space safety standards. In addition, employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.

NORWICH, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with auto service provider Monro Inc. requiring it to pay $174,000 in penalties to resolve seven safety violations found at its Norwich facility in July 2025.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Monro Inc. after inspectors identified multiple safety hazards. Workers were exposed to slip, trip, and fall hazards from engine oil and transmission fluid spilled on a storage room floor, and from the accumulation of commercial trash, including tires, in an exterior storage area.

Investigators also found oily rags were allowed to pile up instead of being stored in a covered metal container, employees performing battery maintenance lacked a suitable nearby eyewash station, and damaged outlets and electrical conduits created electrical hazards.

OSHA also cited Monro with one repeat violation for exposing employees to a crushing hazard after finding a four-post rotary lift with a broken safety latch cable that had been held in place with a pair of vice grips.

Monro Inc. contested the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and agreed to abate all safety violations. The company also agreed to set up a free, anonymous hotline for employees across its 1,100 locations to report safety and health concerns directly to corporate safety personnel.

Learn more about OSHA, including automotive lift safety and how to prevent slips, trips and falls. In addition, employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.

OSHRC Docket No. 26-0334

SAN ANTONIO, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a building contractor and a staffing company for safety violations after a worker suffered fatal injuries while operating a mini-excavator beneath an elementary school in Converse.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an inspection after a Jan. 7, 2026, incident at Converse Elementary School involving a D L Bandy Constructors Inc. employee who was removing accumulated dirt from the school’s crawl space with a mini excavator and became trapped between the equipment and a concrete beam, resulting in fatal injuries. Pacesetter Personnel Services also supplied workers for the project to assist with dirt removal.

The agency cited D L Bandy Constructors Inc. with one willful violation for removing the rollover protective structures from mini-excavators and adding fabricated parts so the equipment could fit inside the crawl space. The agency also issued 15 serious violations related to confined space hazards, including failing to identify and evaluate permit-required confined spaces, conduct required atmospheric testing, provide adequate ventilation and communication, train employees, designate confined space personnel, and implement required entry and rescue procedures.

Pacesetter Personnel Services received two serious violations for failing to ensure permit-required confined space entry procedures were followed and for failing to provide confined space training to temporary workers assigned to the project.

OSHA proposed $276,399 in penalties for D L Bandy Constructors Inc. and $23,170 for Pacesetter Personnel Services. 

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Please check the OSHA establishment search page periodically for any changes in the inspection or penalty status.

Learn more about OSHA, including information on confined spaces. In addition, employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $12.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support the delivery of training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.

Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the grants aim to advance the job quality of the American workforce by providing instructor-led training opportunities for workers and employers in small businesses with an emphasis on industries with high injury, illness, and fatality rates.

The grants will fund training and education on hazard awareness, avoidance, and controls to protect workers from on-the-job hazards, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. 

Applicants may apply in the following categories:

• Targeted Topic Training: Support educational programs that identify and prevent workplace hazards and require applicants to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.
• Training and Educational Materials Development: Support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that identify and prevent workplace hazards.

The grants are available to non-profit organizations, including community-based, faith-based, grassroots organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes, and public/state colleges and universities; entities that operate OSHA On-Site Consultation programs; and OSHA Training Institute Education Centers.

Submit applications no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2026. Applicants must register with Grants.gov and the System of Award Management to apply.  

The grants honor the legacy and work of Dr. Susan Harwood who, during her 17 years with OSHA, developed workplace safety guidelines for benzene, formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens and lead in the construction industry. Harwood was also primary author of OSHA’s cotton dust standard which virtually eliminated byssinosis – a lung disease that causes asthma-like symptoms – among textile workers.

Read the funding notice and how to apply.

Learn more about OSHA.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed more than $3.5 million in fines against three companies after federal inspectors determined they failed to protect workers during post-emergency response cleanup after a chemical spill at the BWC Terminals industrial facility in Channelview.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated three inspections after a Dec. 27, 2025, sulfuric acid spill at the BWC Terminals LLC industrial facility led to multiple employee injuries. OSHA found that despite safety warnings, BWC Terminals mixed fresh and spent sulfuric acid, triggering a tank overpressure that ruptured a supply line releasing 1 million gallons of sulfuric acid resulting in multiple employee injuries.

Following the chemical spill, BWC Terminals contracted Coastal Environmental Solutions Inc. to handle hazardous waste cleanup and Coastal Environmental Solutions hired subcontractor One Way Environmental Services LLC to provide laborers for the cleanup and remediation process. 

“Despite having full knowledge of the severe hazards involved in the spill and cleanup response, these three employers chose to bypass OSHA requirements and put their workers at serious risk,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Health and Safety David Keeling. “Their joint failure to protect workers was not an oversight, it was a choice that resulted in preventable employee injuries and environmental impacts. We will not hesitate to hold employers accountable when they ignore federal laws that are in place to protect workers safety and health.”

OSHA investigators cited One Way Environmental Services LLC for 18 willful egregious and five serious violations after investigators found the employer sent workers to clean up the chemical spill without adequate training, respirator fit tests, or safety measures. OSHA proposed $3,045,452 in penalties. 

Coastal Environmental Solutions Inc. faces $392,501 in proposed penalties for two willful and five serious violations that include a lack of training, a safety and health program, an emergency response plan for hazardous waste operations and emergency response, and deficiencies related to use of respirators.

BWC Terminals was cited with six serious violations for exposing workers to chemical burns, failing to provide hazmat training, and deficiencies relating to the use of respirators. OSHA proposed $82,750 in penalties.

Cumulatively, proposed penalties against the three employers total $3,520,703.

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA, including information on chemical hazard safety. In addition, employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Bowden Piggly Wiggly supermarket franchisee for safety violations after a meat department worker suffered an amputation. 

The department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that on Jan. 29, 2026, RBG Foods Inc. – operating as Piggly Wiggly – tasked the worker with cleaning a commercial grinder. A co-worker stepped on the machine’s foot-control pedal which started the grinder, pulling in the employee’s hand and causing the amputation of four fingers.

OSHA cited the employer with a willful violation for bypassing the machine’s safety guards and exposing workers to hazards like moving parts and flying debris. The employer was also issued a serious violation for failing to establish a program for the control of hazardous energy, and an other-than-serious violation for failing to report the amputation to OSHA within 24 hours of the incident.

OSHA assessed $196,251 in proposed penalties.

The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Please check the OSHA establishment search page periodically for any changes in the inspection or penalty status. 

Learn more about OSHA, including how to control hazardous energy, lockout/tagout. In addition, employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.

KANSAS CITY, MO – A U.S. Department of Labor whistleblower investigation has found that a railroad company wrongfully suspended an employee for reporting a train collision and safety concerns, in violation of the Federal Railroad Safety Act.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated a complaint filed by a Kansas City-based employee of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd., who reported to the Federal Railroad Administration a minor train collision that occurred at the railroad company’s Knoche Yard on Aug. 11, 2024. 

While the employee was not present at the time of the crash, which caused minimal damage and did not result in any injuries, the employee learned of it from a co-worker on the day it occurred and reported the collision and related safety concerns, as required by law, two days later.

OSHA’s investigation found that CPKC’s management was aware of the incident through radio traffic and internal rumors but took no investigative action until the employee’s report triggered an inspection by the Federal Railroad Administration.

In September 2024, the employee represented other workers involved in the collision during a disciplinary hearing as their union chairman and disclosed they reported the incident. As a result, CPKC investigated the employee and charged them with violating internal company policy for failure to notify management of the collision, despite not being present for it. The employee was subsequently suspended for 20 days without pay. 

OSHA ordered CPKC to rescind the employee’s 20-day suspension and pay all back wages plus interest. The employer was also ordered to expunge the major rules violation and all references to the disciplinary action from the employee’s personnel record. CPKC must also pay compensatory and punitive damages.

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program enforces the whistleblower provisions of 25 whistleblower statutes protecting employees from retaliation for reporting violations of workplace airline, anti-money laundering, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, criminal antitrust, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health insurance reform, maritime, motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, safety and health, securities, and tax laws.

For more information on whistleblower protections, visit OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Programs webpage.

Editor’s note: The U.S. Department of Labor does not release the names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.