In its fifteenth OSHA inspection since 1974, the company was charged with nine willful, four repeat, and 17 serious violations, including hazards of confined space entry and combustible dust.
“Although Pineville Lumber agreed to correct these violations, the company failed to follow through, leaving its employees exposed to workplace hazards that could result in serious injury or illness,” said Jeff Funke, director of OSHA’s Charleston Area Office.
"Racial and age stereotyping has no place in hiring decisions; it is illegal, demoralizing, and deprives the workplace of invaluable knowledge, experience and creativity,” said EEOC District Director Delner Franklin-Thomas.
Some of the loans made by the company and a subsidiary defaulted shortly after they were made as a result of their disregard of Small Business Administration rules, regulations, and underwriting requirements, DOJ said.
"These informal stakeholder meetings and written comments from stakeholders will help give OSHA direction to develop innovative ideas that will allow employers, workers and researchers to participate in improving occupational safety and health through the use of occupational injury and illness data," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.
According to suit, on several occasions throughout her employment, the cleaning team supervisor's district manager told her that he wanted a male supervisor at the worksite.
The settlement resolves the natural resource trustees' claims against the aerospace and defense company, which are contained in a complaint filed with the consent decree. The complaint asserts claims for natural resource damages under the Superfund statute, the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and Washington's Model Toxics Control Act.
EPA alleges that the company discharged partially treated slaughterhouse wastes into nearby waterways without a permit for an extended period, and it also exceeded the level of pollutants allowed by its permit on numerous occasions.
After being fired for reporting FAA violations, the pilot filed a complaint with OSHA alleging retaliation under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, the aviation industry whistleblower law.
The MIOSHA investigation found the building was not completely inspected for asbestos. As a result, a major asbestos fiber release episode occurred, potentially exposing employees and building tenants to asbestos.
The U.S. Postal Service published its proposed rule May 5 to carry out the Prevent All Tobacco Cigarettes Trafficking (PACT) Act, which was signed by President Obama on March 31.
To do this, it asks users to answer a few relevant questions and then generates a customized list of federal disability nondiscrimination laws that likely apply, along with easy-to-understand information about employers' responsibilities under each of them.
The agency is hosting three meetings next month -- one on June 3 in East Brunswick, N.J., another on June 10 in Dallas, and the final on June 29 in Washington, D.C. -- to gather comments. Registration will remain open until the meetings are full.
The regional economy is weak and the city faces a big 2011 deficit, but an important new tenant is coming, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus announced. Meanwhile, contractor Perini Building Company took its fight public for $500 million it claims is owed by MGM/Mirage for the mammoth CityCenter project.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration also has formed an internal review team to examine its actions in connection with the Upper Big Branch Mine before the April 5 explosion there.
As a result of an October 2009 inspection in Cincinnati, OSHA issued Lowe's four willful citations with a proposed penalty of $40,000. Based on a November 2009 inspection, OSHA issued the Dayton store seven willful citations with a proposed penalty of $70,000.
This contractor has been inspected by OSHA 25 times since 1991 and has been issued numerous willful, serious, and repeat violations, including many lead violations, the agency said.
The stored materials uncovered by inspections included xylene, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, paint wastes, petroleum distillates, flammable liquids, sodium hydroxide, waste aerosols, and broken fluorescent bulbs, among others.
The company also received serious citations for failing to implement an effective energy control program and to provide adequate machine guarding on grinders.
OSHA announced Friday that the U.S. Postal Service received eight willful citations after inspectors found four untrained or unqualified workers performing tests on live electrical equipment.