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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, MEJA Construction Inc. to promote safety during construction of Clayton County’s Forest Park Middle School

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US Department of Labor, MEJA Construction Inc. to promote safety during construction of Clayton County’s Forest Park Middle School Participants:  U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationMEJA Construction Inc.Georgia Institute of Technology On-Site Safety and Health Consultation ProgramWhat:  Strategic safety partnershipBackground: The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and MEJA Construction Inc. signed a strategic partnership to promote safety and health practices to help in preventing worker injuries and reducing exposure to hazards during construction of Forest Park Middle School in Clayton County, Georgia. The initiative will also encourage contractors to develop and implement safety and health programs, and provide safety and health training to employees, employers and supervisors to reduce the number of injuries and illnesses, increase safety and health training, reduce the overexposure of workers to health and safety hazard
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Wisconsin roofing contractor faces $180K in fines for repeatedly failing to protect employees, subcontractors from deadly fall hazards

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Wisconsin roofing contractor faces $180K in fines for repeatedly failing to protect employees, subcontractors from deadly fall hazards SUAMICO, WI – After an Overhead Solutions LLC manager attended an on-site training discussion on fall hazards on May 25, 2023, federal workplace safety inspectors observed the company’s employees working about 30 feet above ground on a Menasha apartment complex roof without adequate fall protection. Thirteen days later, an inspector observed a project manager employed by Overhead Solutions LLC of Suamico hand out caffeinated energy drinks to subcontractors on a 10-foot-high roof in Appleton, a kindness undermined by the fact that workers lacked fall protection and the manager did not correct the hazard and protect them from the construction industry’s leading cause of death. In both situations, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened inspections. At the Menasha site, inspectors found employees wearing fall pr
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Acting Secretary Su appoints two members to Administrative Review Board

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Acting Secretary Su appoints two members to Administrative Review Board WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su has appointed two new members of the Administrative Review Board. The ARB issues decisions on behalf of the Secretary of Labor in cases arising under a wide range of worker protection laws, primarily involving environmental, transportation and securities whistleblower protection; H-1B immigration provisions; child labor; employment discrimination; job training; seasonal and migrant workers; and federal construction and service contracts.The newly appointed members of the Board are as follows:Angela Thompson most recently served as general counsel of the Communications Workers of America. Prior to that role, she was associate director of the legal department of the American Federation of Teachers. She also previously worked at the National Labor Relations Board and the department’s Office of the SolicitorJonathan Rolfe
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US Department of Labor announces $98M in available funding to support delivery of academic, skills training, employment services for young people

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US Department of Labor announces $98M in available funding to support delivery of academic, skills training, employment services for young people WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $98 million in funding to support the delivery of pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries including construction, healthcare, information technology and hospitality.Funded through the department’s YouthBuild Program, the grants will help provide educational guidance, occupational skills training and employment services to disadvantaged young people, ages 16 to 24, in communities where barriers to academic and career skills development persist. The program aligns with the historic federal investments in the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda to create good jobs. They also support the department’s Youth Employment Works strategy, which seeks to ensure youth find “no wrong door” when accessing employment and supportive services. Administer
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READOUT: Acting Secretary of Labor Su, Secretary of Education Cardona, White House officials celebrate youth apprentices at graduation ceremony

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READOUT: Acting Secretary of Labor Su, Secretary of Education Cardona, White House officials celebrate youth apprentices at graduation ceremony WASHINGTON – At Department of Labor’s headquarters in Washington today, Acting Secretary Julie Su, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Domestic Policy Advisor to the President Neera Tanden, Department of Commerce Senior Counselor Zoe Baird, and other public and private sector leaders gathered to kick off National Apprenticeship Week 2023 with a graduation ceremony for students who recently completed apprenticeship programs. Acting Secretary Su and Secretary Cardona congratulated more than 25 recent graduates who received certificates and crossed the stage to applause from their families, apprenticeship program sponsors and employers. The graduates represented apprentices in a cross-section of high-growth industries that included education, construction, IT and cybersecurity, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Tanden and Baird also offer
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US Department of Labor kicks off 9th annual National Apprenticeship Week

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US Department of Labor kicks off 9th annual National Apprenticeship Week WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the start of National Apprenticeship Week, an annual event that includes plans in 2023 for more than 1,300 events and proclamations nationwide, united by the theme, “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs.”Through Nov. 19, this year’s 9th annual event will bring employers, industry associations, labor organizations, community-based organizations, workforce partners, education providers and government leaders together to showcase the importance of Registered Apprenticeship in improving job quality and expanding U.S. workers’ access to good-paying jobs in many industries. “National Apprenticeship Week recognizes the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in Registered Apprenticeships and their vital importance to our nation’s workforce infrastructure,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This week, we commend our partners — in
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US Department of Labor cites Long Island roofer for safety failures after worker suffers fatal fall at Glen Cove worksite

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US Department of Labor cites Long Island roofer for safety failures after worker suffers fatal fall at Glen Cove worksite WESTBURY, NY – A federal workplace safety investigation has found a Huntington contractor could have prevented a roofer’s fatal fall at a Glen Cove worksite on April 14, 2023, by following legally required safeguards designed to prevent falls.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined the deceased worker and other employees of Elite Roofing Services Inc. were installing metal decking on a flat industrial roof at Garvies Point Road when the decedent fell through an opening to a concrete floor nearly 20-feet below. OSHA’s investigators learned the company did not provide the employees on the roof with protection against fall hazards, such as guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest systems, positioning devices or fall restraint systems. The work being completed fell under OSHA’s steel erection standard, and  Elite Roo
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