Company interfered with OSHA investigation after a tornado
- The former workers at a Kentucky candle factory struck by a tornado last year are alleging that the company retaliated against them for cooperating with federal safety inspectors.
- An attorney said Friday that he has filed a charge on behalf of 20 workers with the National Labor Relations Board that accuses Mayfield Consumer Products of unfair labor practices.
- The filing alleges the company is “denying, abridging, and/or obstructing workers’ compensation benefits” because the workers participated in OSHA, according to a lawyer representing the workers.
- The company was fined $40,000 by OSHA for violations of federal labor law.
- A more precise accounting system can boost workplace safety, according to international researchers.
- The researchers looked at establishment-level injury data from OSHA for around 1,300 firms.
- Better information was linked to “significantly lower” rates of workplace injuries.
- In the organizations in which decision-making more often comes from their branches than headquarters, the association was stronger.
More trouble for Dollar General
- Federal workplace safety inspectors discovered violations that have led to more than $15 million in proposed penalties since 2017 for Dollar General, one of the nation’s largest discount retailers.
- Inspectors with OSHA found merchandise stacked unsafely, excessive clutter and unsanitary conditions, and unmarked emergency exits in the storeroom of a Dollar General store in Columbus, Ohio.
- OSHA cited the store – operated by DolGen Midwest LLC – for four repeated safety violations and proposed penalties of $341,842.
- A 2021 inspection at a South Euclid, Ohio, store – also operated by DolGen Midwest LLC – found merchandise blocking storeroom exits.
Electric-Vehicle Maker Faces Alleged Safety Violations
- Employees at Rivian Automotive Inc. in Illinois have accused the electric-vehicle maker of safety violations, according to complaints filed with federal regulators.
- The complaints allege the company ignored known hazards and deprioritized safety resources, leaving some workers to share respirators needed during the manufacturing process.
- The lawsuit also includes a range of injuries, including a crushed hand, a broken foot, a sliced ear, and broken ribs, that occurred at the plant.
- One Rivian employee said management fished damaged electrical cables out of the garbage and told employees to reuse the product.