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On June 2, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of an “opinion letter” program across five agencies, providing workers, employers, and others with compliance assistance. The program includes letters of interpretation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) explaining the agency’s regulatory requirements. The DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, Mine Safety and […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in the Western District of Texas against the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for wrongfully terminating an employee who fell while delivering mail and reported the work-related injury, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced May 8. An OSHA investigation found that the USPS violated […]
Department of Labor (DOL) leaders recognized Workers Memorial Day in a ceremony held April 24. Speakers at the ceremony, held at the department’s Washington headquarters, included Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Acting Assistant Secretary Amanda Wood Laihow, Mine Safety and Health Administration Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy James Paul […]
A Missouri contractor has reached an agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to settle violations identified in investigations of a worker’s March 2023 fatal fall, OSHA announced April 7. OSHA investigators determined that Troyer Construction LLP, which operates as Troyer Roofing & Coatings, […]
The Illinois Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL OSHA) of the state’s Department of Labor (DOL) released a report of its investigation into the drowning of a public works employee in Springfield, the agency announced March 14. In February 2023, a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in a 12-inch water main vault that flooded during […]
Cleveland bakeware manufacturer G&S Metal Products Company Inc. faces a $182,293 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine after two workers suffered injuries within weeks of each other, resulting in amputations, the agency announced December 9. On June 25, a 37-year-old employee sustained an amputation injury while operating a power press. The press cycled unexpectedly […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to force the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) subpoenas, OSHA announced November 21. The agency is conducting a whistleblower investigation at the USPS’s New Salem, Pennsylvania, facility. OSHA opened an […]
Department of Labor (DOL) attorneys obtained a consent judgment in federal court that includes an injunction permanently preventing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from retaliating against employees at up to 59 locations in the state of Washington, the DOL announced July 16. The consent judgment also requires the USPS to pay $183,732 in lost wages, […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how the Department of Labor handles safety litigation. When the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cites an employer for safety and health violations, the employer may simply document steps taken […]
On July 21, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced the launch of a heat awareness campaign called “Operation Beat the Heat.” Operation Beat the Heat is a coordinated education, outreach, and enforcement effort to protect migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) national emphasis program […]