US Department of Labor investigation finds Chicago construction employer exposed workers to continued safety hazards, proposes $265K in penalties

-
US Department of Labor investigation finds Chicago construction employer exposed workers to continued safety hazards, proposes $265K in penalties CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Calumet City-based residential construction and carpentry employer after two separate investigations into its continued failure to provide fall protection for workers. The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated two worksites operated by Martin Araujo – doing business as Araujo Construction Corp. – and found that carpenters and general construction laborers were installing roof rafters and roof sheeting without fall protection, exposing them to falls of up to 25 feet. OSHA cited Araujo Construction with two willful violations for not providing fall protection, while working from heights during residential construction at the two worksites. OSHA also cited the employer with nine repeat safety violations for failing to provide head and eye protection, l...
Post a Comment

READOUT: Acting Secretary of Labor Su, Secretary of Education Cardona, White House officials celebrate youth apprentices at graduation ceremony

-
READOUT: Acting Secretary of Labor Su, Secretary of Education Cardona, White House officials celebrate youth apprentices at graduation ceremony
WASHINGTON – At Department of Labor’s headquarters in Washington today, Acting Secretary Julie Su, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Domestic Policy Advisor to the President Neera Tanden, Department of Commerce Senior Counselor Zoe Baird, and other public and private sector leaders gathered to kick off National Apprenticeship Week 2023 with a graduation ceremony for students who recently completed apprenticeship programs. Acting Secretary Su and Secretary Cardona congratulated more than 25 recent graduates who received certificates and crossed the stage to applause from their families, apprenticeship program sponsors and employers. The graduates represented apprentices in a cross-section of high-growth industries that included education, construction, IT and cybersecurity, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Tanden and Baird also offered congratulatory remarks to the graduates. “Registered Apprenticeships use proven strategies that help connect young people with good jobs and provide employers with skilled, entry-level employees,” explained Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “The apprenticeship program graduates we honored here today at the Department of Labor remind us how these programs change peoples’ lives, creating a brighter future for them and for our nation.” Leading up to today’s kick-off event, President Biden issued a proclamation on National Apprenticeship Week on Nov. 9, 2023. During the ceremony, Acting Secretary Su announced the first cohort of youth Apprentice Trailblazers, part of an initiative launched in August 2023, and revealed the department’s plans for the first National Youth Apprenticeship Week, scheduled from May 5 to 11, 2024. “Apprenticeships are opportunity multipliers. Keep learning and pay it forward, using your voice to inspire the next generation,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona exclaimed. “By sharing your stories, you can elevate apprenticeships in your community and be a champion for economic opportunity.” The event also included a live discussion in which the department’s Senior Advisor for Employment and Training Manny Lamarre talked with a recently graduated apprentice and their parent about their experience.The event was one of more than 1,300 events and resolutions planned from Nov. 13 to 19 to highlight the value and importance of Registered Apprenticeships. The learn-as-you-earn model provides youth and others with work-based and experiential learning and creates career pathways to good-paying jobs and equips them for career success. Registered Apprenticeships also offer employers with a talent pipeline of entry-level workers to support their workforce development needs and strengthen their communities’ economies. 

Published at November 12, 2023 at 04:00PM
Read more at https://dol.gov

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Settlement affirms willful OSHA violations, $215K penalties, against contractors for fall hazards at multiple New Jersey work sites

-
Settlement affirms willful OSHA violations, $215K penalties, against contractors for fall hazards at multiple New Jersey work sites HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – Two related North Jersey construction contractor companies – Primetime Construction LLC and its subsidiary Primetime Contractors LLC of Paterson – have agreed to pay $215,000 in penalties and undertake several significant safety measures to resolve numerous safety violations found at five Paterson construction worksites in 2021, as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor.The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initially cited Primetime Contractors LLC for four willful violations that occurred in September 2021 after agency inspectors found the employer exposing workers to fall hazards by repeatedly failing to ensure construction site stairways at company worksites had handrails and stair rails, even after being counseled by OSHA about the relevant safety requirements. Primetime Contrac...
Read more

Statement by US Secretary of Labor Su on July jobs report

-
Statement by US Secretary of Labor Su on July jobs report WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su issued the following statement on the July 2023 Employment Situation report:  “Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 187,000 jobs in the month of July — and added an average of 218,000 jobs per month over the past three months — continuing the steady and stable growth that is bringing economic security to workers and families across the country. The unemployment rate ticked down to 3.5 percent, continuing the longest period of under 4-percent unemployment in over 50 years. Healthcare, social assistance, construction, and financial activities all gained jobs in July.  “This jobs report is the latest evidence that the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda is expanding pathways to the middle class and leaving no one behind. The solid job market continues to deliver employment and earnings opportunities for ...
Read more

Proper planning, safeguards could have prevented New Bedford dock collapse, US Department of Labor inspection finds

-
Proper planning, safeguards could have prevented New Bedford dock collapse, US Department of Labor inspection finds BRAINTREE, MA – A Connecticut marine and heavy construction contractor could have prevented the October 2023 collapse of a 200-foot section of pier on Hervey Tichon Avenue in New Bedford — which plunged five workers into the Acushnet River and injured two of them — by adhering to legally required safety standards, a U.S. Department of Labor inspection has determined. Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found that Mohawk Northeast Inc. of Plantsville did not determine if the pier’s walking and working surfaces had the strength and structural integrity to support employees safely with the weight of materials and equipment on it. OSHA issued the company a willful citation and assessed $161,323 in proposed penalties.The agency also proposed an additional $53,004 in penalties for four serious violations related to potential fall, d...
Read more