Court enters consent order requiring New Hampshire landscaper to pay employees $310K in wages, liquidated damages

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Court enters consent order requiring New Hampshire landscaper to pay employees $310K in wages, liquidated damages MANCHESTER, NH – The U.S. Department of Labor, following an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division and the filing of a consent order in federal court by the department’s Office of the Solicitor, has recovered a total of $310,193 in back wages and liquidated damages from a Bedford landscaper and contractor who underpaid 60 employees. The division found that Ulster Property Services LLC and owner Kieran Rice violated the overtime, minimum wage, child labor and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act by doing the following:Paying 59 workers, whose duties included landscaping, snow removal and construction work, straight time wages for all hours worked, instead of paying them the required overtime rate for hours over 40 in a workweek.Failing to pay one employee for all hours worked, resulting in the employee receiving less than the required
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Crystal Lake contractor faces $287K in fines after exposing framing workers in Elburn to potentially deadly fall risks 3 times in less than a month

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Crystal Lake contractor faces $287K in fines after exposing framing workers in Elburn to potentially deadly fall risks 3 times in less than a month
CRYSTAL LAKE, IL – Federal inspectors have cited 595 Construction LLC - a Crystal Lake contractor with a history of exposing employees to fall hazards - for eight safety violations after finding employees framing a residential structure without required protections three times at three residential worksites in the same neighborhood in May 2024. Falls from elevation are the leading cause of fatal and serious injuries in the construction industry, and among the safety violations most cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA inspectors first observed 595 Construction employees at work without legally required equipment on a residential structure in an Elburn neighborhood. On May 10, they witnessed similar violations at 1501 Collins Drive and across the street at 264 Davidson Drive. Three weeks later, on May 31, OSHA again found employees exposed to fall hazards at a nearby worksite at 207 Davidson Drive.The agency cited the company for allowing employees to work without protection at heights greater than six feet and for failing to certify they trained workers to recognize hazards or prevent falls. Inspectors also found 595 Construction permitted the unsafe use of ladders, did not ensure workers had certification needed to operate powered industrial vehicles, and used damaged slings to hoist materials.In all, 595 Construction received one willful violation and four repeat and three serious violations for which the company faces $287,465 in proposed penalties. These are the latest infractions for a company cited for similar citations for serious and repeat safety failures in 2022 and 2023. “After OSHA opens an investigation at one worksite, we often find the same contractor has done nothing to correct similar hazards at its other sites and not bothered to make certain to train work crews on complying with federal safety protections,” explained OSHA Area Director Jacob Scott in Naperville, Illinois. “For several years, 595 Construction has shown a chronic disregard for safe work operations and a willingness to put its employees lives and well-being at risk.”In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,069 construction workers died on the job, with 395 of those deaths resulting from falls from elevation. “Falls are the leading cause of injuries and deaths for construction workers. There is no excuse for 595 Construction failing to take immediate corrective action,” Scott added.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 agency also offers compliance assistance resources on Protecting Roofing Workers and recommendations for developing a safety and health program.Learn more about OSHA. 

Published at November 06, 2024 at 04:00AM
Read more at https://dol.gov

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