US Department of Labor investigation finds Birmingham construction company willfully exposed workers to trench collapse at Bessemer worksite

US Department of Labor investigation finds Birmingham construction company willfully exposed workers to trench collapse at Bessemer worksite BIRMINGHAM – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found numerous safety hazards at a civil construction employer’s worksite following a trench collapse in Jefferson County. The department’sOccupational Safety and Health Administration investigators found CB&A Construction LLC workers removed and installed drain pipes for Jefferson County under a suspended load, without hard hats, and at the edge of an excavation that lacked protective restraints.OSHA cited CB&A Construction with a willful violation and proposed $170,145 in penalties.CB&A Construction LLC 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. Penalties and citations may...

Department of Labor investigation recovers $547K in back wages, damages after finding Guam construction contractor again shortchanged workers

Department of Labor investigation recovers $547K in back wages, damages after finding Guam construction contractor again shortchanged workers
BARRIGADA, GUAM – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $547,378 in back wages and liquidated damages for 139 employees of a federal construction contractor in Guam who shortchanged them in violation of federal labor laws.Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined Ian Corporation – operating as Ian Construction – violated multiple federal regulations governing the employment of workers on projects supported by federal funds. The division found the company and owner Jihyung P. Chong violated prevailing wage requirements under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts and the overtime requirements of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay for all hours worked.The division recovered a total of $295,420 in back wages and $251,957 in liquidated damages for 139 employees. In addition to back wages and damages recovered for workers, the employer’s repeated and willful violations led the department to assess $50,000 in penalties. This is not the first time the department has investigated Ian Construction. The division previously investigated this federal contractor in 2012, 2016 and 2021 for multiple violations, including overtime, health and welfare benefits, driving time, hours not paid and illegal deductions, resulting in a combined recovery of $10,849 for 44 workers. “Just like there are baseline building standards for the construction of homes and community infrastructure, there are also baseline wage standards for the workers who build them. These must be adhered to at all times,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Terence Trotter in Honolulu. “Counting and paying for all hours worked, including mandated breaks of short duration, isn’t just a good idea – it's the law.”Learn more about the DBRA, the CWHSSA and other laws enforced by the division, as well as a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. The department can speak with callers confidentially in more than 200 languages through the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Download the agency’s new Timesheet App, now available for Android and iOS devices in English and Spanish, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division.

Published at February 05, 2024 at 04:00AM
Read more at https://dol.gov

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