US Department of Labor awards $86M to 14 states for investment in skills training programs for critical in-demand, emerging industries

-
US Department of Labor awards $86M to 14 states for investment in skills training programs for critical in-demand, emerging industries WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $86 million in Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund grants to 14 states to accelerate innovation, strengthen domestic production, and address critical workforce needs across the country, with more than $20 million of the funding supporting the revitalization of the domestic shipbuilding industry, training workers in welding, marine electrical, manufacturing, and other skilled trades.Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, these grants will provide outcome-based reimbursements to employers for providing training in high-demand and emerging industries that align with President Trump’s Executive Order 14278, Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future, and Executive Order 14629, Restoring America’s Mariti...
Post a Comment

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 Contractors contested the citations and penalties to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The department amended the citations to add Primetime Construction to the case during litigation.“This agreement commits Primetime Construction LLC and Primetime Contractors LLC to correct their previously cited hazards and invest in significant and measurable practices and improvements designed to prevent falls, the deadliest hazard in construction work, and result in safer workplaces for their employees,” said OSHA Area Director Lisa Levy in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.The settlement requires the employers to undertake the following enhanced abatement measures:Conduct a pre-job hazard assessment for each job.Ensure field employees receive at least 10-hour OSHA training.Ensure supervisors receive at least 30-hour OSHA training. Require subcontractors to document, with photographs, that compliant handrails and stair rails are in place during the course of work. Retain a safety consultant to conduct periodic worksite audits. Notify OSHA of the companies’ upcoming projects.Read the stipulated settlement agreement. “This settlement demonstrates the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to pursue litigation tools to enforce workplace safety laws and better protect workers against potentially disabling or deadly workplace hazards,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Jeffrey S. Rogoff in New York. OSHA’s Hasbrouck Heights Area Office conducted the inspections. Senior Trial Attorney Jacob Heyman-Kantor of the regional Office of the Solicitor in New York litigated the case and negotiated the settlement for OSHA.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. Learn more about OSHA and fall protection in construction. 

Published at May 07, 2024 at 05:00AM
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

Department of Labor encourages construction industry employers, stakeholders to join 2024 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls

-
Department of Labor encourages construction industry employers, stakeholders to join 2024 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is encouraging construction industry employers and workers across the nation to take part in its 11th annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction from May 6-10. The event focuses attention on preventing the industry’s leading cause of worker deaths.The national stand-down recommends employers and workers pause voluntarily during the workday for safety demonstrations, hazard recognition and fall prevention training, and “tool-box” talks about hazards, protective methods and their company’s safety policies, goals and expectations. This year, OSHA is partnering with Construction Safety Week, an organization of more than 70 national and global construction firms, to enlist employers in the U.S. to create the largest industry-wide cons...
Read more