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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 seeks input from South Dakota building, heavy construction industry for wage survey to establish prevailing wage rates

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US Department of Labor seeks input from South Dakota building, heavy construction industry for wage survey to establish prevailing wage rates SIOUX FALLS, SD – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is surveying the building and heavy construction industry of South Dakota to set prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, for the payment of construction workers on federally funded and federally assisted construction projects.The DBRA directs the department to set the prevailing wage rates that reflect the actual wages and fringe benefits paid to construction workers in the county where the work takes place. This survey requests information about wages paid to construction workers on building and heavy construction projects in South Dakota where construction occurred between March 25, 2023, and June 25, 2024. This is a statewide survey and is not limited to federally funded construction projects. The data collection period will begin March
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ICYMI: Acting Secretary Su visits diverse communities, spotlights Biden-Harris administration investments in good jobs, support for unions

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ICYMI: Acting Secretary Su visits diverse communities, spotlights Biden-Harris administration investments in good jobs, support for unions WASHINGTON – As part of the most pro-worker, pro-union administration in history, Acting Secretary Su is traveling the country to engage with workers, visiting Oregon and Mississippi over the past two weeks. During the visits, she spoke with a diverse group of workers and community leaders about the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing commitment to creating opportunities for all workers and building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up.The Biden-Harris administration is empowering workers and fighting to ensure that they receive the highest protections they are guaranteed under federal law. While visiting Mississippi, Acting Secretary Su met immigrant workers at a roundtable in Jackson with the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity, followed by a roundtable with community and labor leaders in Jackson. Acting Secretary Su then trav
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US Labor Department recovers $37K in back wages for 37 workers denied overtime by Charleston construction contractor

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US Labor Department recovers $37K in back wages for 37 workers denied overtime by Charleston construction contractor Employer:      EAS Homes LLC                        9012 Timber St.                        Charleston, SC 29406Investigation findings: U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found a Charleston commercial construction contractor misclassified some workers as independent contractors. By doing so, EAS Homes failed to pay the additional half-time rate for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Back wages recovered: The division recovered $37,155 in back wages for 37 workers.                                            Quote: “Misclassification of workers as independent contractors denies them overtime wages and benefits they legally earned and rightly deserve. In addition, it denies them employer contributions toward their social security benefits,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Jamie Benefi
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Massachusetts contractor, repeat violator, again exposes workers to potentially fatal falls, leading to $306K in OSHA penalties

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Massachusetts contractor, repeat violator, again exposes workers to potentially fatal falls, leading to $306K in OSHA penalties BRAINTREE, MA – A Framingham roofing contractor with a history of fall-related safety violations again exposed its employees to potentially fatal falls, this time to falls of up to 20 feet at a residential worksite in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Brothers Construction Services Inc. – which also operates as Brothers Construction and Roofing and Brothers Roofing – faces $306,229 in penalties following a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection.OSHA opened an inspection of Brothers Construction Services Inc. at the Lexington Avenue worksite on Aug. 17, 2023, in response to a complaint that workers on the roof of a residential property were not using fall protection. Inspectors observed multiple OSHA violations involving inadequate fall protection, scaffolds, ladders, training, safety inspections and personal protectiv
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Building futures: US Department of Labor promotes safety to newest generation of construction workers in Southeast’s largest student career event

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Building futures: US Department of Labor promotes safety to newest generation of construction workers in Southeast’s largest student career event ATLANTA – Experts from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will welcome thousands of students – from Georgia’s middle, high and tech schools – to the 2024 Construction Ready Career Expo in Atlanta. The event highlights the importance of on-the-job safety to the industry’s next generation of workers.Held at the Georgia World Congress Center from Feb. 22-23, the event will focus on careers in construction and related fields with specialties such as safety, highway construction, electrical contracting, energy, drywall, tile, roofing and more. Exhibits will feature machinery and tools, and participants will be on hand to answer questions about career options and skills needed in various industry fields.“Connecting with the thousands of students who walk through the doors and sharing the value of job safet
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Departamento de Trabajo recupera $170,000 tras descubrir que empresa de construcción de Bakersfield negó pago de horas extra a 74 empleados

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Departamento de Trabajo recupera $170,000 tras descubrir que empresa de construcción de Bakersfield negó pago de horas extra a 74 empleados Empleador:    Universal Welding and Construction Inc.                              12558 Snow Road                              Bakersfield, CA 93314                                                                                                      Hallazgos de la investigación: Una investigación de la División de Horas y Salarios del Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. descubrió que Universal Welding and Construction Inc. no pagó a 74 trabajadores tarifas de sobretiempo por horas trabajadas más allá de las 40 a la semana, privándoles así de su salario íntegro, en violación de la Ley de Normas Justas de Trabajo.Salarios atrasados recuperados:     $85,004 en horas extraordinarias no pagadas a 74 empleados                                                                           $85,004 en indemnizaciones por daños y perjuicios para 74 empleados   
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Illinois construction contractor faces $264K in proposed fines for again failing to protect employees from deadly fall hazards

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Illinois construction contractor faces $264K in proposed fines for again failing to protect employees from deadly fall hazards NAPERVILLE, IL – An Illinois construction contractor – with a history of ignoring federal safety regulations – has again been found exposing workers to deadly fall hazards on a jobsite in Naperville.  Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees of United Custom Homes LLC of Oswego, Illinois, working without protective equipment at heights up to 20 feet on a residential home under construction on Aug. 23, 2023. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that of 1,056 construction workers who suffered fatal on-the-job injuries in 2022, 423 of them died in falls. “United Custom Homes continues to ignore federal safety regulations and endanger workers’ lives by exposing them to deadly fall hazards,” said OSHA Chicago South Area Director Jim Martineck in Tinley Park, Illinois. “Every employer has a leg
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