Posts

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
Post a Comment
Read more

US Department of Labor again cites Jacksonville residential roofing contractor for exposing workers to fall hazards, proposes $72K in penalties

-
US Department of Labor again cites Jacksonville residential roofing contractor for exposing workers to fall hazards, proposes $72K in penalties Employer:       Brayden Roofing Specialists LLC4728 Brierwood RoadJacksonville, FL 32257Investigation Findings: On Aug. 9, 2023, a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation found that Brayden Roofing willfully exposed employees to fall hazards by allowing them to work on 10-foot high roofs without fall protection at a Jacksonville worksite. The agency also cited the company with a serious violation for not making sure ladder rails extended above the roof’s upper landing surface. Proposed penalties:   $72,683 Background: In three previous investigations in 2022 and 2023, OSHA cited Brayden Roofing Specialists for similar failures. In May 2022, inspectors identified three serious violations related to lack of head protection, eye and face protection and fall protection at a Jacksonville worksite. In Dec
Post a Comment
Read more

US Department of Labor, Office of the Trade Representative seek review by Mexican government into alleged labor rights denial at Nuevo Laredo plant

-
US Department of Labor, Office of the Trade Representative seek review by Mexican government into alleged labor rights denial at Nuevo Laredo plant WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested a review from the government of Mexico of the Tecnología Modificada facility in Nuevo Laredo, based on its investigation of a denial of workers’ rights. The facility is operated by a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction and mining equipment, and other products.The U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.The request follows a Sept. 25, 2023, petition filed under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism by the National Independent Union of Industry and Service Workers “20/32 Movement” alleging that the company unlawfully terminated a worker for union organizing and that the company engaged in several actions that
Post a Comment
Read more

Vermont contractor pays nearly $44K in punitive damages, lost wages to former employee fired for exercising rights under federal wage law

-
Vermont contractor pays nearly $44K in punitive damages, lost wages to former employee fired for exercising rights under federal wage law Employer name:                               Kingsbury Companies LLCInvestigation site:                 58 Center Road, Middlesex, VT 05602 Investigative findings:          The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that the employer, a construction contractor, terminated an employee in March 2023, in retaliation for speaking with the employer and other employees about whether they were receiving the correct pay. In an administrative settlement with the division, Kingsbury Companies LLC has paid the worker $40,000 in punitive damages and $3,901 in back pay for the period during which the employee was looking for a new job after the retaliatory discharge.Quote:                                     “The Wage and Hour Division will not tolerate employers retaliating against workers who exercise their federally protected rights. The Fair
Post a Comment
Read more

US Department of Labor implements final rule to modernize Davis-Bacon Act regulations, better meet construction workers’ needs

-
US Department of Labor implements final rule to modernize Davis-Bacon Act regulations, better meet construction workers’ needs WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the implementation of a final rule that modernizes Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts regulations to reflect the needs of construction workers on federally funded projects better.Implementation of the “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation” follows the August 2023 publication of the final rule in the Federal Register, which is the most comprehensive update in decades.The update greater clarifies and enhances the effectiveness of the DBRA regulations to meet the demands of the modern economy. They strengthen and streamline the process for setting and enforcing wage rates on federally funded construction projects to make sure federal infrastructure investments are also investments in U.S. workers.“Modernizing the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts is key to making sure that the jobs
Post a Comment
Read more

Department of Labor cites Wisconsin roofing contractor for again exposing workers to fall hazards at residential home site in Appleton

-
Department of Labor cites Wisconsin roofing contractor for again exposing workers to fall hazards at residential home site in Appleton Employer:                                          Brookens Construction LLC                                                                 6592 Lake Road, Suite D                                                                 Windsor, Wisconsin 53598Citations Issued:                   Two willful, two serious violations and one other-than-serious violation Investigative Findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an inspection with general contractor Brookens Constructions LLC on May 12, 2023, after OSHA inspectors observed a worker shingling a residential roof without fall protection on Ridgeview Drive in Appleton, Wisconsin. The worker was employed by a subcontractor, Eaglevision LLC of Elgin, Illinois.Inspectors also found the general contractor failed to perform site inspections to make sure its
Post a Comment
Read more

US Department of Labor obtains consent injunction requiring New York contractor to provide employees with fall protection

-
US Department of Labor obtains consent injunction requiring New York contractor to provide employees with fall protection NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent injunction ordering a Rockland County roofing contractor and its principal to provide employees with fall protection equipment and make sure it’s used at all company worksites, as required by federal law. The order finds that, by allowing employees to do roofing work without fall protection, the company is exposing them to imminent danger of death or serious harm.Since 2019, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited ALJ  Home Improvement Inc. multiple times for fall-related violations, including after company employees suffered fatal falls in 2019 and 2022. In May 2023, ALJ and its owner Jose Lema signed a settlement agreement with OSHA to resolve and affirm willful citations the agency issued in 2021, which includes enhanced provisions for correcting and preventing fall h
Post a Comment
Read more

US Department of Labor recovers $224K in back wages from two contractors for 37 electricians denied full wages on federally funded project

-
US Department of Labor recovers $224K in back wages from two contractors for 37 electricians denied full wages on federally funded project ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $224,113 in lost wages and benefits for 37 Florida workers after finding two employers failed to pay fringe benefits and prevailing and overtime wages to employees working on a new Veterans Affairs multi-specialty outpatient clinic in Daytona Beach.The recovery follows investigations by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that found violations of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act for work being performed on a federally funded project. Specifically, investigators found M.C.A. Communications Inc. failed to pay electricians their fringe benefits and the full prevailing wage for all hours worked. The Houston-based employer also used a rate lower than the prevailing wage rate to compute overtime, allowing them to pay overtime rates lower than
Post a Comment
Read more