February 21, 2024

Massachusetts contractor, repeat violator, again exposes workers to potentially fatal falls, leading to $306K in OSHA penalties

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. 

February 21, 2024

US Department of Labor finds Oklahoma aeronautical parts manufacturer exposed workers to numerous serious safety hazards

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: 

February 20, 2024

New Jersey steel fabrication company fined $348K after federal safety inspectors find employees exposed to workplace hazards

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.

February 13, 2024

Building futures: US Department of Labor promotes safety to newest generation of construction workers in Southeast’s largest student career event

ATLANTAExperts 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.

February 13, 2024

US Labor Department cites 2 employers after 39-year-old worker suffers fatal injuries at Fort Lauderdale work site

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.

February 12, 2024

Illinois construction contractor faces $264K in proposed fines for again failing to protect employees from deadly fall hazards

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. 

February 12, 2024

New Jersey contractor’s ongoing disregard for safety laws leads to $1M penalty after federal inspection finds workers exposed to falls

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.

February 9, 2024

US Department of Labor again cites Green Bay cleaning products manufacturer after worker suffers amputation, fines company $194K

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 

February 8, 2024

US Labor Department cites Melbourne crane service provider after investigation finds lack of safety protocols led to 34-year-old employee’s electrocution

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. 

February 7, 2024

Court orders Connecticut sports bar, owner to pay $359K for retaliating against employees

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.

February 7, 2024

US Department of Labor finds Case Farms Processing again exposes workers to multiple hazards at Ohio chicken processing plant

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. 

February 5, 2024

US Department of Labor cites Alabama construction employer after heat illness claims life of 33-year-old worker at Huntsville job site

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.

February 5, 2024

US Department of Labor offers webinar for hospitality industry employers, workers, other stakeholders for Hospitality Worker Appreciation Day

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   

January 31, 2024

Department of Labor fines New Jersey transportation company $437K after inspectors find workers exposed to safety, health hazards at Paulsboro site

PAULSBORO, NJ – A transportation company is facing $437,860 in federal penalties after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found workplace safety and health hazards at its Paulsboro site.

January 31, 2024

US Department of Labor cites Homestead drywall service employer after 22-year-old worker suffers fatal head injury at Miami Beach worksite

HOMESTEAD, FL – A Homestead drywall contractor could have prevented a hoisting incident in July 2023 by following required safety regulations, a federal workplace investigation has found. A 22-year-old worker suffered a fatal head injury following the incident.

January 29, 2024

Madison ice cream plant cited for violating multiple safety standards after federal investigators respond to report of ammonia release

MADISON, WI ‒ Responding to a report of workers being exposed to anhydrous ammonia, federal investigators found a Madison ice cream plant lacked sufficient process safety management procedures to control the release of hazardous chemicals. Exposure to anhydrous ammonia, used in the refrigeration process, can cause respiratory injuries and burns to the skin and eyes. 

January 26, 2024

US Labor Department cites Silver Creek plumbing contractor after 34-year-old employee’s fatal fall, exposure to hydrogen sulfide

ROME, GA – A Silver Creek plumbing contractor could have prevented a 34-year-old employee’s June 2023 fatal fall at a Rome work site by following required safety procedures, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

January 24, 2024

US Department of Labor investigation of worker’s finger-tip amputation finds Ohio instrument manufacturer again violated safety standards

EAST LAKE, OH ‒ Responding to the sixth amputation injury reported by an Ohio musical instrument manufacturer in the past eight years, federal investigators found employees at the East Lake facility were injured at four times the industry average rate in the past five years. 

January 24, 2024

Federal court holds Nebraska contractor in contempt, orders daily fine until he complies with US Department of Labor subpoena

LINCOLN, NE – A federal court has issued an order holding a Nebraska roofing contractor — who has stalled federal investigators for nearly a year — in contempt of court and imposing a fine of $100 a day if he fails to comply with a subpoena to provide the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration with documents necessary for an investigation of an employee's fall off a residential roof in Lincoln in February 2023.

January 19, 2024

US Labor Department investigation finds Ohio food warehouse exposed workers to ergonomic hazards

FAIRFIELD, OH – Federal inspectors examining injury and illness records at a Fairfield food services warehouse found workers suffered severe injuries at nearly four times the average rate for their industry, with a high percentage of these injuries categorized as ergonomic musculoskeletal disorders.