November 8, 2024

Statement by Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety, Health on occupational injuries, illnesses in 2023

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker issued the following statement on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2023 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses:

November 6, 2024

Crystal Lake contractor faces $287K in fines after exposing framing workers in Elburn to potentially deadly fall risks 3 times in less than a month

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL – Federal inspectors have cited 595 Construction LLC - a Crystal Lake contractor with a history of exposing employees to fall hazards - for eight safety violations after finding employees framing a residential structure without required protections three times at three residential worksites in the same neighborhood in May 2024. 

November 4, 2024

Department of Labor encouraged by decline in worker death investigations

WASHINGTON – Fewer workers are dying from hazards where the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has focused its enforcement resources. Preliminary agency data show a decrease in fatalities the agency is mandated to investigate, including significant reductions in fatal injuries from trench collapses and falls, two of the leading causes of death among construction industry workers.

November 4, 2024

Department of Labor seeks reinstatement, back wages from Pennsylvania manufacturer that allegedly fired worker for raising safety concerns

YORK, PA - The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against a York manufacturing company alleging the company wrongly terminated an employee who raised safety concerns when directed to use a ladder to move stock items when they believed a forklift would be safer.

October 29, 2024

Department of Labor finds construction contractors failed to protect rigger from fatal 30-story fall at Fort Lauderdale high-rise

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found two contractors could have prevented a crane collapse at a Fort Lauderdale residential construction site in April 2024, which caused a 27-year-old rigger to suffer fatal injuries after falling approximately 30 stories.

October 29, 2024

Department of Labor investigation into worker’s fatal grain engulfment finds Missouri farm cooperative lacked adequate rescue equipment

HAMILTON, MO ‒ A Missouri grain cooperative could have prevented an employee’s fatal engulfment in a storage bin in May 2024 had it followed federal workplace safety requirements, the U.S. Department of Labor determined.

October 24, 2024

Judge affirms serious violations against Rochester roofing contractor that exposed workers to 4-story falls from Village of Newark municipal building

SYRACUSE, NY – An administrative law judge has ordered a Rochester commercial roofing company to pay $16,782 in penalties for two serious fall protection and ladder safety violations, after an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

October 21, 2024

Department of Labor investigation of worker’s serious injuries finds Texas furniture manufacturer failed to install required machine guards

TEMPLE, TX – Federal workplace safety investigators have determined that a Temple manufacturer and designer of school furnishings could have prevented an employee’s serious and permanent hand and arm injuries by installing required machine guards. 

October 18, 2024

Department of Labor finds Massachusetts waterproofing contractor’s safety failures led to employee’s crushing death in Hanson collapse

BRAINTREE, MA – A federal workplace safety investigation has found the operator of three Massachusetts waterproofing contracting companies could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries in February 2024 when part of a foundation broke and fell on the worker in a 5-to-6-foot-deep trench beneath the foundation of a Hanson residence.

October 17, 2024

Department of Labor investigation of 33-year-old worker’s fatal injuries finds Huntsville countertop company failed to protect employees from stone slabs

HUNTSVILLE, AL – A U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation has found that a Huntsville countertop installation company could have prevented a 33-year-old employee from being struck by a stone slab weighing thousands of pounds by following federal safety standards at a Huntsville job site.

October 16, 2024

Department of Labor cites Kumho Tire Georgia $271K in penalties, finds 15 safety violations in wake of 57-year-old worker’s fatal injury

MACON, GA – Federal safety inspectors found a Macon tire manufacturing facility with a history of safety and health violations could have prevented the fatal injuries sustained by a 57-year-old maintenance worker in April 2024. 

October 11, 2024

Federal judge orders CSX Transportation reinstatement, $453K payment for pair of employees illegally terminated after raising safety concerns in 2017

ATLANTA – A federal administrative law judge has ruled that CSX Transportation Inc., a subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest transportation companies, must pay a total of $453,510 to two railroad workers who were wrongfully terminated for exercising their federally protected rights to report workplace safety concerns. The company must also reinstate the workers. 

October 10, 2024

US Department of Labor urges Florida emergency, response workers; public to recognize, avoid hazards created by hurricanes Milton, Helene

WHO:             U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Emergency and recovery response workers

Residents in areas affected by hurricanes Milton and Helene

October 9, 2024

Federal workplace safety investigation finds Janesville recycling company continues to expose workers to dangerous levels of lead, cadmium

JANESVILLE, WI ‒ A follow-up inspection by federal workplace safety investigators in April 2024 found a Janesville recycling company continuing to expose employees to unsafe levels of lead and cadmium while they dismantled cathode ray tubes from older TVs, despite being cited for the same violations in April 2023.

October 8, 2024

US Department of Labor finds Nebraska farm cooperative exposed employees stacking pallets of pork to musculoskeletal disorders

 

Employers:    Wholestone Farms Cooperative Inc.

                             900 South Platte Ave.

                             Fremont, NE 

October 3, 2024

Pinellas Park boat manufacturer faces $328K in penalties after Department of Labor follow-up inspection finds significant safety issues ignored

TAMPA, FL  Rather than address the 15 existing safety and health hazards cited by federal workplace safety inspectors in July 2023, a Pinellas Park boat manufacturer continues to jeopardize the safety and health of its workers, according to a follow-up inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor.

October 3, 2024

Department of Labor investigators find Nebraska grain cooperative exposed workers to combustible dust, multiple hazards at Hemingford elevator

HEMINGFORD, NE ‒ Federal investigators found life-threatening hazards at a Nebraska grain cooperative, where workers faced risks of fire and explosions due to the company allowing a buildup of combustible dust and failing to maintain effective dust collection systems, leading to more than $500,000 in proposed penalties. 

October 2, 2024

Department of Labor expands grain handling safety emphasis program to address continued deaths, injuries in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska

KANSAS CITY, MOThe U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched a regional emphasis program to address worker safety in the highly hazardous grain handling industry as preventable injuries and unchecked hazards continue to be a serious concern for workers in the region. The program in Missouri is identical to programs already in place in Kansas and Nebraska.

October 2, 2024

Department of Labor orders railroad to reinstate employee, pay $200K in back wages, damages after retaliation for safety complaints

ENDERLIN, ND – A federal whistleblower investigation has found a North Dakota railroad company illegally retaliated against and terminated a claims representative who reported an injury, discussed safety concerns with their supervisor and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor. 

October 2, 2024

AB Specialty Silicones must pay $1.3M federal penalty, implement comprehensive safety programs after 2019 Waukegan plant explosion

WAUKEGAN, IL – Chemical products manufacturer AB Specialty Silicones LLC will pay $1.3 million in penalties after an explosion and fire at its Waukegan plant in May 2019 claimed the lives of four workers.