BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio – Less than a year after federal inspectors cited an Ohio rubber-hose manufacturer for 11 machine safety violations, the company now faces an additional $70,000 in fines after safety lapses led a 27-year-old male worker to suffer severe injuries at its Bellefontaine plant.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor filed two separate federal lawsuits in Houston today alleging that two employers operating in the city illegally fired employees for making safety complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

CHICAGO ‒ As a 54-year-old worker, who fell more than 11 feet as he installed a roof joist, recovered from his injuries, federal inspectors investigating his fall on March 8, 2016, arrived two days later and found a co-worker about 40 feet off the ground without proper fall protection.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Federal workplace safety and health inspectors have cited a Massachusetts construction company after a worker suffered serious injuries after he fell almost 19 feet from a Portsmouth roof.

Responding to a complaint, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection of Paramo Daniela Construction of Brockton and found that the employer had:

Employer name: Motor Castings Company, West Allis, Wisconsin                                

Citations issued: May 26, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Ashley Furniture, the nation’s largest retailer of home furnishings, have entered into a corporate wide settlement agreement that provides an effective framework for protecting workers from machine hazards.

BOSTON – A truck driver concerned he couldn’t complete his delivery from Massachusetts to New Jersey and back without violating federal safety regulations and putting himself and others at risk thought he’d devised a solution to deliver his cargo on-time and comply with the regulations. Instead of thanking him, his employer fired him.

Employer’s names: Allen’s Excavation Inc., Capital City Contracting LLC

Inspection site: 2037 Eastgate Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32308.

Employer name: Park Stein Inc., 613-614 Route 46 East, Clifton, New Jersey

Citations issued: On June 3, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one willful violation, eight repeat, five serious and two other-than-serious violations.

ATLANTA – As they recover from the impacts of Tropical Storm Colin and tornados, Florida’s emergency workers, employers, and the public at-large should be aware of the hazards they may encounter and take necessary steps to stay safe, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges.

Employer name: U.S. Postal Service, 125 West South Street, Indianapolis, Indiana

Citations issued: June 2, 2016

Investigation findings: A follow-up inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found a U.S. Postal Service sorting facility in Indianapolis failed to adequately address hazards from a crumbling parking structure that was falling on its workers.

Employer name: Dent Wizard International Corp.

Inspection site: 1190 Lancaster Road, Manheim, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 31 serious and nine other-than-serious health and safety citations on June 1, 2016.

MENTOR, Ohio – As he helped widen a road on Station Street in Mentor, a 28-year-old water and sewer utility worker suddenly found himself buried beneath thousands of pounds of soil when a trench, more than 5-feet deep in which he worked, collapsed on him. Hours later, his injuries led to the man’s death in a nearby hospital.

CONCORD, N.H. – Federal workplace safety and health inspectors have cited a Dublin window restoration company for exposing workers to unsafe levels of lead, and other hazards.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted a follow-up inspection of Window Master Inc. and found that the company had:

Employer Name: Barney’s Inc. doing business as Barney’s Police Supply

Inspection Site: 218 Four Park Road, Lafayette, LA 70507

Citations issued: June 6, 2016

Employer name: Coastal Building Systems of Amelia Inc.

Inspection site: 32157 Juniper Parke Drive, Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034

Citations issued: Citations were issued to the employer on June 3.

Employer name: Nautic Star LLC

Inspection site: 500 Waterway Drive, Amory, Mississippi 38821

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on June 2 for 15 serious and eight other-than-serious safety and health violations.  OSHA initiated an inspection as part of the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program for Programmed Maritime Inspections.            

Employer name: U.S. Postal Service, 2323 Forest Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa

Citations issued: June 2, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Des Moines Area Office cited the postal mail sorting facility for two repeated and two serious safety violations.

Employer name: Evergreen Nursery Inc.

Inspection site: 1501 Dials Road, Statham, Georgia 30666

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Evergreen Nursery on May 31 for 18 serious safety violations.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Federal workplace safety and health inspectors have cited a Steuben County rail manufacturing and repair service facility for 17 serious violations, including exposing employees to unsafe levels of known cancer-causing chemicals such as cadmium, lead, nickel and sil