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

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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
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US Department of Labor recovers more than $518K for 54 workers underpaid by New Hampshire subcontractor at Massachusetts worksite

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US Department of Labor recovers more than $518K for 54 workers underpaid by New Hampshire subcontractor at Massachusetts worksite
BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $518,446 in back wages for 54 workers after finding a New Hampshire subcontractor did not pay prevailing wage and fringe benefits to construction workers on a federally funded project at the Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick.The department’s Wage and Hour Division determined Ecostructive LLC, doing business as Ecostructive Pro Builders, violated the Davis-Bacon Act by failing to pay employees the required wage rate and benefits. The division also discovered the Nashua-based employer falsified certified payroll records and had not created and maintained accurate payroll and basic records, failed to pay proper overtime as the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act requires and did not allow employees to accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked on or in connection with a federally covered contract, as Executive Order 13706 requires.The division’s settlement resolves Ecostructive Pro Builders’ DBA, CWHSSA and Executive Order 13706 violations. Given the employer’s Davis-Bacon Act infractions, the department has debarred the employer from working on any federal contract for three years. “By obtaining debarment of Ecostructive Pro Builders from federal contracts for three years, the U.S. Department of Labor has taken a strong stance against the employer’s failure to provide employees with the prevailing wages and benefits as the laws require,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Carlos Matos in Boston. “The Wage and Hour Division will not tolerate any contractors who falsify certified payroll records and will hold them accountable. Strong enforcement of prevailing wage requirements ensures that federal investments result in the creation of good jobs.”Ecostructive Pro Builders is a construction company engaged primarily in drywall installation. The Natick project’s prime contractor, CTA Construction Manager LLC of Waltham paid the back wages specified in this case’s administrative settlement.The Wage and Hour Division offers numerous resources for employers and workers alike, including information about the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts and Executive Order 13706, Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors, the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) and webinars that take place throughout the year. Workers and employers can call the division confidentially with questions, regardless of immigration status, and the division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. 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.Download the agency’s free Timesheet App for Android and iOS devices, available in English and Spanish, to help track work hours and pay.

Published at April 11, 2024 at 05:00AM
Read more at https://dol.gov

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