US Department of Labor issues 7 letters of interpretation addressing workplace safety, health requirements

-
US Department of Labor issues 7 letters of interpretation addressing workplace safety, health requirements WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced today that it has issued seven letters of interpretation to ensure the consistent and transparent application of federal workplace safety and health standards.As part of the Trump Administration’s broader emphasis on compliance assistance, OSHA’s letters of interpretation provide official explanations of the agency’s requirements and how they apply to specific workplace situations and hazardous conditions posed by employers, employees, or other parties.“From construction to engineering, OSHA is providing decisive guidance after gathering feedback from employers, demonstrating our opinion letter program has already been effective,” said Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling. “This effort is a key component of the Trump Administration’s comprehensive strategy to educate the public ...
Post a Comment

Federal safety inspectors find Palatine roofing contractor continued to expose employees to deadly fall hazards; cite 6th violation since 2019

-
Federal safety inspectors find Palatine roofing contractor continued to expose employees to deadly fall hazards; cite 6th violation since 2019
PALATINE, IL – Twice within a month in summer 2023, federal workplace safety inspectors found a Palatine contractor did not provide roofing employees with required fall protection, exposing them to the risk of falls from elevation, the construction industry’s leading cause of workplace deaths.These workplace safety violations by Ricardo Gallardo - operating as R&R Construction Services Inc. - are the fifth and sixth times since 2019 that inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration discovered the company violating federal regulations for protecting workers from falls. On June 15, 2023, OSHA inspectors opened an investigation after they observed eight roofers working without fall protection at heights over 6 feet at a residential home work site in Palos Heights. On July 18, 2023, inspectors observed crews — again without required protection — working atop a residential roof in Joliet.“R&R Construction Services Inc. continued to show a flagrant disregard for industry-recognized fall safety requirements that protect workers from the leading cause of worker fatalities in the construction industry,” said OSHA Chicago South Area Director James Martineck in Tinley Park, Illinois. “They need to comply with federal laws that protect workers before tragedy strikes its employees.”OSHA inspectors also learned the company did not train employees on the use of fall protection and noted the company’s failure to provide workers using pneumatic hammers with required eye protection.After its June and July inspections, OSHA cited the company for one willful violation and four repeat violations and assessed $275,869 in penalties.OSHA cited Ricardo Gallardo - operating as R&R Construction Services Inc. - for not providing fall protection in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Before the 2023 inspections, the company owed $163,199 in unpaid OSHA penalties.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 1,015 construction workers died on the job in 2021, with 379 of them related to falls from elevation. Exposure to fall hazards makes residential construction work among the most dangerous jobs in construction. OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.Learn more about OSHA. 

Published at December 12, 2023 at 04:00AM
Read more at https://dol.gov

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Phoenix drywall, painting contractor must pay more than $7.4M in wages, damages after deliberately denying overtime to over 1,400 employees

-
Phoenix drywall, painting contractor must pay more than $7.4M in wages, damages after deliberately denying overtime to over 1,400 employees PHOENIX – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment ordering two commonly owned Arizona drywall and painting companies to pay $7,450,000 in back wages and damages after investigators found the employers willfully denied overtime pay to more than 1,400 employees.The Jan. 15, 2025 judgment by the U.S. District Court of the District of Arizona follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that found Apodaca Wall Systems Inc. and Empire Wall Systems Inc. in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The companies, owned by Arnold Apodaca and his children Michael and Brittany Apodaca, attempted to evade payment of overtime wages by paying hourly employees with multiple checks at straight-time rates for all hours worked. They also used labor brokers to hire hourly workers who were paid in cash at st...
Read more

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

St. Louis contractor faces $258K in fines after exposing roofing workers to potentially deadly fall hazards 5 times in 7 weeks at Wentzville worksites

-
St. Louis contractor faces $258K in fines after exposing roofing workers to potentially deadly fall hazards 5 times in 7 weeks at Wentzville worksites ST. LOUIS – Federal workplace safety inspectors have cited a Missouri roofing contractor for 21 violations for illegally exposing roof workers — five times in seven weeks — at six Wentzville residential worksites to the dangers of fall hazards, the construction industry’s leading cause of serious injuries and death. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened its investigations after observing 13 Construction & Pro Services LLC allowing its employees to work on roofs without required protection equipment at separate sites on Oct. 31, Nov. 2 and Dec. 14, 2023.Specifically, OSHA alleges the company allowed employees to work without protection at heights greater than six feet, did not have a competent person inspect and evaluate job site hazards daily and failed to train workers to recognize ...
Read more