Department of Labor alleges subcontractor knowingly exposed employees to asbestos hazards during former Waukegan hospital demolition

Department of Labor alleges subcontractor knowingly exposed employees to asbestos hazards during former Waukegan hospital demolition WAUKEGAN, IL – Alleging that K.L.F. Enterprises — a Chicago demolition subcontractor — knew it was exposing its employees and others to the serious dangers of asbestos at a Waukegan work site, the U.S. Department of Labor has cited the company for 36 safety and health violations after a federal investigation. In November 2023, investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened a complaint inspection after they observed K.L.F. employees not wearing protective equipment amid piles of debris and steel I-beams during structural demolition of the eight-story former Lakes Behavioral Health hospital. OSHA determined that K.L.F. continued demolition activities — disturbing and removing asbestos used to fireproof the building’s interior — despite recognizing the debris piles outside were likely asbestos-laden. The company did

US Department of Labor recovers $34K in back wages, benefits for 9 workers misclassified by subcontractor on federal project in District of Columbia

US Department of Labor recovers $34K in back wages, benefits for 9 workers misclassified by subcontractor on federal project in District of Columbia
Employer name:       Day-Debut Mechanical Inc.Employer address:    22421 Goshen School Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20882Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division determined that Day-Debut Mechanical Inc., a federal subcontractor on the Paxton Apartments construction project in the District of Columbia, misclassified nine sheet metal workers and insulators as laborers. By doing so, the employer did not pay them the proper prevailing wages and fringe benefits in violation of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The division also determined Day-Debut had incomplete payroll records, submitted falsified payrolls and failed to provide required records, all violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.Another subcontractor on the project, Titan Mechanical Inc. of Manassas Park, Virginia, paid the owed back wages and fringe benefits after Day-Debut Mechanical was unreachable after the division’s investigation. Titan had hired Day-Debut Mechanical to complete work on the project, an affordable housing development slated for completion in spring 2024 with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.Recoveries: $20,921 to back wages and $13,221 in fringe benefits for nine employees.Quote: “Contractors on projects supported by federal funds must classify workers correctly and pay them their full wages and benefits or face costly consequences for not complying with the law,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh.Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Workers and employers can call the division confidentially with questions or concerns – regardless of where they are from – and the division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. Help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free in English or Spanish. 

Published at April 15, 2024 at 05:00AM
Read more at https://dol.gov

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