LAONA, WI ‒ A Wisconsin hardwood flooring manufacturer continues to ignore federal safety and health regulations and expose workers to multiple hazards at its Laona mill, federal inspectors found. 

MACON, GA – Federal safety investigators found a Macon plumbing contractor could have prevented a fatal trench collapse -- that claimed the life of a 20-year-old worker and hospitalized another worker -- by following required safety procedures. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration joined Restaurant Opportunities Centers United for a listening session with restaurant workers on the importance of protecting workers from extreme indoor heat in the workplace on Feb. 21, 2024.

AUBURN, AL – A Camp Hill electrical contractor could have prevented a 22-year-old electrician from incurring life-threatening arc flash burns by following safety procedures they knew were standard in the industry, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

SELMA, AL – U.S. Department of Labor safety investigators found a Selma brick manufacturer exposed workers to silica crystalline respiratory hazards that have the potential to lead to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease. 

COLUMBUS, GA – Six days after opening a complaint inspection at a Columbus auto parts manufacturer in August 2023, federal safety investigators learned that a 41-year-old maintenance technician at the site endured severe injuries from an electrical transformer explosion and opened a second investigation. 

PHENIX CITY, AL – A federal investigation into an August 2023 horrific fatal incident at a Phenix City sawmill revealed, for the second time in three years, that the employer could have prevented a tragedy by following required safety rules. 

OKLAHOMA CITY –The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an aeronautical parts manufacturer for exposing workers to nearly two dozen safety hazards following a complaint about a lax safety environment at the company’s plant in Catoosa. 

OSHA cited LMI Finishing Inc. – operating as Sonaca North America – for 23 serious violations of OSHA safety standards related to confined spaces, fall hazards and blocked exit routes.

OSHA inspectors found the employer did not: 

BRAINTREE, MA – A Framingham roofing contractor with a history of fall-related safety violations again exposed its employees to potentially fatal falls, this time to falls of up to 20 feet at a residential worksite in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood. 

MILLVILLE, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a steel fabrication business after finding the company willfully exposed workers to safety and health hazards at its Millville shop.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – A federal investigation into the death of a 39-year-old maintenance employee found that the two contractors responsible for the job site could have prevented the incident by communicating and following safety rules designed to prevent the unexpected startup of machinery.

ATLANTA – Experts from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will welcome thousands of students – from Georgia’s middle, high and tech schools – to the 2024 Construction Ready Career Expo in Atlanta. The event highlights the importance of on-the-job safety to the industry’s next generation of workers.

PATERSON, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a New Jersey contractor for again exposing workers to fall hazards, this time while working at a construction site in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

NAPERVILLE, IL – An Illinois construction contractor – with a history of ignoring federal safety regulations – has again been found exposing workers to deadly fall hazards on a jobsite in Naperville.  

Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees of United Custom Homes LLC of Oswego, Illinois, working without protective equipment at heights up to 20 feet on a residential home under construction on Aug. 23, 2023. 

GREEN BAY, WI – A federal investigation into how a Tufco LP employee’s fingertip was amputated in August 2023 determined that the Green Bay household cleaning products manufacturer violated federal regulations for the control of hazardous energy during service and maintenance tasks and failed to report the amputation injury, as required.  

PALM BAY, FL – U.S. Department of Labor safety investigators have found that a Melbourne rental crane service provider could have prevented the electrocution of a 34-year-old crane operator at a Palm Bay work site in August 2023 by ensuring required safety measures were in place and followed. 

HARTFORD, CT – After investigations and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, a federal court ordered a Milford sports bar and its owner to pay employees a total of $359,485 in back pay, emotional distress damages, withheld compensation and punitive damages for violating the anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

WINESBURG, OH ‒ A chicken processing plant – with a long history of violations ‒ again failed to comply with federal safety regulations and exposed workers to multiple hazards while they processed chickens for commercial sale, federal inspectors found. 

Who:               U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division          

What:             Labor law webinar for Hospitality Worker Appreciation Day 

When:             Feb. 22, 2024, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST   

HUNTSVILLE, AL – During the peak of summer in July 2023, a 33-year-old concrete finisher collapsed at a Huntsville construction site after showing clear signs of heat illness, a tragedy that federal safety investigators found could have been prevented had the employer followed established safety practices for heat hazards.