Excavation Firm Faces $250K in Penalties Over Fatal Trench Collapse The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $254,884 in penalties against Jonas David Wagoner, doing business as J.D. Wagoner Excavating, for willful and serious violations after a trench collapse killed one of his workers on April 2 at a construction site in Hamilton […]

  Public Agencies Fined $121K under New Safety Law Maryland Occupational Safety and Health has issued $121,150 in fines to public employers since the Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act took effect in October 2025. Before the law, civil penalties were not issued for workplace safety violations by public employers. Between Oct. 1, […]

  New York Urged to Investigate Amazon Warehouse for Safety Violations A coalition of labor, worker advocacy and community groups, including the Teamsters and Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1, sent a letter Oct. 6 asking the New York State Department of Labor to investigate Amazon’s alleged violations of the state’s Warehouse Worker Protection Act, Warehouse […]

  Worker Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries in Paving Roller Incident A paving worker suffered severe, life-threatening injuries Monday morning when a heavy paving roller ran over him in the driveway of a home on Maiden Lane in Bedford, New Hampshire, according to emergency radio dispatch traffic. Bedford police and firefighters responded and prepared to administer CPR […]

  OSHA Awards $10.2M in Worker Safety Training Grants to 67 Organizations The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration awarded roughly $10.2 million in grant funds to 67 organizations nationwide through the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program to support worker safety education and training. The grants fund instructor-led training for workers and […]

  Union Pacific Ordered to Pay $304K for Firing Worker After He Raised Safety Concerns The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Union Pacific Railroad Co. to pay a North Little Rock, Arkansas yardman $304,869 in back wages, lost benefits, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney’s fees for firing him […]

  OSHA Probes Framing Company after Juvenile Worker’s 30-Foot Fall The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Detweiler’s Building Co., LLC, a West Farmington, Ohio-based framing contractor, after a juvenile male worker was hospitalized with a serious head injury following a roughly 30-foot fall from a construction site on Sept. 17. Records show OSHA […]

  HHS Rolls Out PPE Demand Forecast to Boost U.S. Manufacturing The Department of Health and Human Services is releasing a forecast of its personal protective equipment demand, aiming to give American manufacturers greater predictability and strengthen domestic supply chains. The new policy requires each HHS division to maintain a forecast of its PPE needs, […]

  OSHA Probes Death of Worker Pinned Between Machines at Steel Plant A worker died Sept. 29 after becoming pinned between two door machines while working at the Cleveland-Cliffs coke plant in Monessen, Pa., according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating, and an autopsy will be performed […]

  OSHA Releases New Guidance for Opioid Emergencies OSHA released new guidance on Sept. 24 to guide employers in case an employee has an opioid overdose in the workplace. The “Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications” worksheet is designed to help workplaces recognize overdose signs and respond quickly. The fact sheet recommends keeping FDA-approved reversal […]