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US Department of Labor announces $12.7M in grants awarded

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US Department of Labor announces $12.7M in grants awarded WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $12.7 million to 102 nonprofits nationwide to fund education and training initiatives designed to create safer workplaces.Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, funds from the Susan Harwood Training Grants Program will support the delivery of training and education on hazard awareness, avoidance and controls, and inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This round of funding was awarded to programs in the categories of targeted topic training, training and educational materials development, and capacity building.“The Susan Harwood Training Grants are a critical investment that the Department of Labor makes to help workers know their rights and power – in turn making their workplace safer and healthier,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This grant ho
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Department of Labor finds appalling disregard of safety standards by building contractor in collapse of Boise airport hangar that killed 3 workers

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Department of Labor finds appalling disregard of safety standards by building contractor in collapse of Boise airport hangar that killed 3 workers BOISE, ID – A federal workplace safety investigation into the fatal injury of three workers and injuries to at least eight others, after an airport hangar collapsed near the Boise Airport in January 2024, found the building contractor ignored standard safety procedures and visible warning signs during construction.Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration responded to the scene of the deadly incident and discovered Big D Builders Inc. of Meridian had begun erecting the hangar without using sufficient bracing or tensioned guy wires. OSHA also learned the construction contractor had ignored numerous indications that the structure was unstable, including visibly curved, bent and wavy structural I-beams, unbalanced columns and several snapped wire rope cables. Despite these obvious concerns, fe
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Chicago-area framing contractor continues to expose employees to deadly fall hazards as violations multiply, federal fines reach new heights

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Chicago-area framing contractor continues to expose employees to deadly fall hazards as violations multiply, federal fines reach new heights RIVER GROVE, IL – Two federal workplace safety investigations have found a Chicago-area framing contractor - already facing debt collection for more than $100,000 in fines for violations identified in 2022 - continuing to expose employees to deadly fall hazards and defying the U.S. Department of Labor’s requests for documents and information related to the contractor’s business and workers safety and health.OSHA inspectors observed employees working at heights up to 30 feet without fall protection on Jan. 29, 2024, at a residential construction site on North 80th Street in River Grove, inspectors with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found employees of KW Framing Inc. without required protective equipment while they erected exterior walls on structures two to three stories high. During this visit, inspectors reminded
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Framing contractor again found exposing workers to deadly fall hazards, twice in less than 2 weeks at Perrysburg worksites; faces $199K in fines

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Framing contractor again found exposing workers to deadly fall hazards, twice in less than 2 weeks at Perrysburg worksites; faces $199K in fines PERRYSBURG, OH – Twice in less than two weeks, federal workplace safety inspectors found an Indiana contractor exposing employees to deadly risks of falls from elevation while they did framing work at two homes under construction in Perrysburg. Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees of MDM & Sons Construction LLC working on residential roofs at heights up to 13 feet without proper fall protection on May 1 and May 14, 2024, at locations on Brampton Park Road and Old Dover Road, respectively. OSHA issued four willful violations to the Woodburn-based company for again exposing workers to fall hazards, lacking fall protection training and not developing an accident prevention program. Inspectors also found the company failed to provide eye protection for workers using pn
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Department of Labor cites Winter Haven contractor for willfully exposing workers again to potentially deadly falls

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Department of Labor cites Winter Haven contractor for willfully exposing workers again to potentially deadly falls FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – For the second time in five years, the U.S. Department of Labor has found a Winter Haven contractor allowed employees to do roof work without adequate protection exposing workers to falls, one of the construction industry’s deadliest hazards.            The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection found that at an Ave Maria residential jobsite in January 2024, Carpenter Contractors of America Inc. willfully exposed employees to a 32-foot fall hazard as they did not require fall protection equipment for employees securing trusses and roof facia. OSHA has proposed $161,323 in penalties.“Falls from elevation kill more construction workers than any other industry hazards and yet, far too often, we find employers exposing their employees to debilitating injuries or worse,” explained OSHA Area Director Condell Eastmond in Fort
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US Department of Labor announces $99M in available funding to deliver education, occupational skills training, job services to young people

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US Department of Labor announces $99M in available funding to deliver education, occupational skills training, job services to young people WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $99 million in funding to support the delivery of pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries including construction, clean energy, healthcare, infrastructure, information technology and hospitality.The YouthBuild Program grants provide academic support, occupational skills training and employment services to young people, ages 16 to 24, in communities where they face persistent barriers to academic and career skills development. In alignment with the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda, the program leverages the administration’s historic federal investments to help create good jobs and support a range of community needs, such as affordable housing and conservation. The YouthBuild grants will also support the department’s Youth Employment Works st
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US Department of Labor recovers $74K in back wages, damages for 19 construction workers denied overtime pay in Southwest Louisiana

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US Department of Labor recovers $74K in back wages, damages for 19 construction workers denied overtime pay in Southwest Louisiana Employer name:               PAR Construction LLCInvestigation site:            1424 Ryan St.                                                   Lake Charles, LA 70621Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found PAR Construction paid 19 non-exempt employees straight time for overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, denying these workers the time and one-half overtime premium required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Back wages recovered:  $37,273 in back wages                                                    $37,273 in liquidated damagesQuote: “When employees work premium hours, they should get premium pay,” said Wage and Hour district Director Troy Mouton in New Orleans. “Most construction workers are due time and one-half their regular rate of pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week. Work in the construct
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US Department of Labor finds New Hampshire roofing company improperly classified, shortchanged foreign temporary workers

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US Department of Labor finds New Hampshire roofing company improperly classified, shortchanged foreign temporary workers MANCHESTER, NH – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $167,101 in back wages for 20 workers for a Keene roofing contractor that paid incorrect wages and improper overtime to foreign temporary workers employed through the federal H-2B nonimmigrant program.The Wage and Hour Division determined that The Melanson Company, a Tecta America Company LLC improperly classified workers as roofer helpers when, in fact, they were doing roofing work, a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act’s H-2B provisions. By doing so, the employer failed to pay correct prevailing wages, which led to additional violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act when the Keene contractor calculated overtime wages based on the incorrect wage rate.The recovery is part of a settlement between the division and The Melanson Company that required the employer to pay $154,596 in H-2B back wage
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