Reps meet over substance use disorders, mental health conditions 

• Representatives from the US Department of Labor and OSHA joined members of the Massachusetts Building Trades Recovery Council at the Ironworkers Local 7 hall in South Boston to discuss innovative methods to create supportive work environments.
• The talks were geared toward workers in the trades with substance use disorder and mental health conditions.
• The council supports recovery efforts by promoting the benefits and programs within each affiliate trade.
• Members of the 62 local unions and district councils in MBTU and the dependents of union members have access to recovery support 24/7.
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Ohio roofer faces more than $500,000 in fines

• On four occasions in less than three months in 2023, OSHA inspectors observed a Millersburg, Ohio, roofing contractor again exposing workers to deadly fall hazards of up to 19 feet at four residential roofing job sites in Canton, Uniontown, and Westlake.
• The department proposed $548,801 in penalties to JMH Roofing LLC, after identifying eight willful and two repeat violations.
• Jonas Hershberger operates JMH Roofing LLC and RAM Roofing LLC and has a history of violating workplace safety regulations with numerous citations to these two companies since 2018.
• At all worksites, inspectors observed roofing workers at heights greater than 6 feet without fall protection and lacking eye protection while using pneumatic nail guns.
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Massive project now hold because of safety concerns

• A $1 billion project to build one of the world’s most powerful particle accelerators at Fermilab near Chicago has been halted since May 25 while federal authorities investigate an accident that severely injured a northwest Indiana ironworker three months into construction.
• James Daniels, 46, fell from the top of a two-story wall during his first day on the job. Hospitalized for several months, he has filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against Fermi Research Alliance, which operates the site, as well as the contractor and subcontractors in charge of the construction project.
• The Proton Improvement Plan II, a 10-year, $978 million project funded by the Department of Energy, is expected to enhance groundbreaking experiments in particle physics by creating a more powerful accelerator at the research facility.
• The project remains on hold with no target date for resumption.
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OSHA investigates after worker dies

• OSHA has opened an investigation after a 34-year-old man died after suffering serious injuries while working with a crew on a water main in a village construction zone in Wisconsin.
• A valve had burst while the crew was working on a pipe, causing fatal injuries to the worker.
• A second worker was also hurt, but the worker’s injuries were minor and not life-threatening.
• The victim’s identity has not been yet disclosed out of respect for the family and until relatives have been notified.
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