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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 cites Homestead drywall service employer after 22-year-old worker suffers fatal head injury at Miami Beach worksite

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US Department of Labor cites Homestead drywall service employer after 22-year-old worker suffers fatal head injury at Miami Beach worksite HOMESTEAD, FL – A Homestead drywall contractor could have prevented a hoisting incident in July 2023 by following required safety regulations, a federal workplace investigation has found. A 22-year-old worker suffered a fatal head injury following the incident.Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that a scaffold pulley system failed while workers were hoisting buckets of concrete at a Stucco Works Inc. residential construction site in Miami Beach. As a result, the hoist arm of the pulley system detached from the scaffold and struck one worker across the head.“Stucco Works’ failure to make employee safety a priority led to the loss of a young worker’s life,” said OSHA Area Office Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale. “Employers are required to follow the federal standards
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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements

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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Wage and Hour Division will offer online seminars throughout 2024 for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders on the requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.Part of the division’s effort to increase awareness and improve compliance, each day-long seminar will include sessions on the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act and other related topics. Participants can choose among the sessions offered throughout the day. The seminars are scheduled for Feb. 27, May 15 and Aug. 29. Any updates will be posted on the prevailing wage seminar webpage, which includes a video library covering additional topics.“Prevailing wage laws empower workers by ensuring that construction and service jobs on federally funded projects across t
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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements

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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Wage and Hour Division will offer online seminars throughout 2024 for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders on the requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.Part of the division’s effort to increase awareness and improve compliance, each day-long seminar will include sessions on the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act and other related topics. Participants can choose among the sessions offered throughout the day. The seminars are scheduled for Feb. 27, May 15 and Aug. 29. Any updates will be posted on the prevailing wage seminar webpage, which includes a video library covering additional topics.“Prevailing wage laws empower workers by ensuring that construction and service jobs on federally funded projects across t
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US Labor Department cites Silver Creek plumbing contractor after 34-year-old employee’s fatal fall, exposure to hydrogen sulfide

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US Labor Department cites Silver Creek plumbing contractor after 34-year-old employee’s fatal fall, exposure to hydrogen sulfide ROME, GA – A Silver Creek plumbing contractor could have prevented a 34-year-old employee’s June 2023 fatal fall at a Rome work site by following required safety procedures, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned that a three-person work crew from K&D Plumbing Inc. was replacing a sewer line at Armuchee High School when they encountered a blockage in a pipe. To clear the blockage near the end of a 60-foot-long trench, one worker entered a manhole. A short time later, the worker fell about 20 feet, where they succumbed to injuries as a result of the fall and subsequent exposure to a high atmospheric concentration of hydrogen sulfide gas.The Rome Fire Department used a gas monitor to test the air inside the manhole and discovered the presence of hydrogen sulfi
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Federal court holds Nebraska contractor in contempt, orders daily fine until he complies with US Department of Labor subpoena

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Federal court holds Nebraska contractor in contempt, orders daily fine until he complies with US Department of Labor subpoena LINCOLN, NE – A federal court has issued an order holding a Nebraska roofing contractor — who has stalled federal investigators for nearly a year — in contempt of court and imposing a fine of $100 a day if he fails to comply with a subpoena to provide the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration with documents necessary for an investigation of an employee's fall off a residential roof in Lincoln in February 2023.On Jan. 16, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. of the District of Nebraska found Christopher C. Arps in contempt of court and ordered him to comply with OSHA’s subpoena or face the daily fine. The court also ordered Arps to pay $5,926.56 to the department for legal fees and costs incurred. The court warned Arps that if he does not comply by Jan. 26, 2024, he may be subject to additional sanctions
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US Department of Labor announces new communities in initiative to improve workforce opportunities for young people

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US Department of Labor announces new communities in initiative to improve workforce opportunities for young people WASHINGTON –The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the second cohort of its Youth Systems Building Academy, an innovative effort to increase and enhance employment opportunities for youth. The 10 additional communities and their partners will receive individualized training and tailored technical assistance from the department to help develop, test, implement or scale systems that engage and support young people entering the workforce. Delivering a “no-wrong-door” youth workforce system is a critical part of the department’s Youth Employment Works strategy to ensure young workers are prepared and empowered to take advantage of opportunities in today’s labor market. In March 2023, the department announced its initial cohort of communities that developed strategies to improve youth employment outcomes. The self-nomination period for the latest cohort closed in Novembe
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US Department of Labor investigation of construction worker’s fatal injuries finds Stoughton contractor failed to follow required safety procedures

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US Department of Labor investigation of construction worker’s fatal injuries finds Stoughton contractor failed to follow required safety procedures BRAINTREE, MA – A federal investigation has found that a Stoughton general contractor could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries in June 2023 if the employer had followed required safety regulations and trained workers on the safe operation of heavy equipment at a Brockton work site.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found LMA Services Company LLC exposed employees to struck-by and caught between hazards as they worked near a compact track loader doing excavation work for a new building at Brockton Hospital.OSHA investigators discovered the track loader’s bucket was elevated and being used to load and unload crushed stone on uneven ground as an employee worked beneath. During the operation, the employee suffered fatal injuries after being struck by the loader and pinned between
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