JVS Roofing of Jonesboro, Georgia, pays more than $100,000 in fines and back wages

JVS Roofing of Jonesboro, Georgia, has been cited for both safety violations and misclassification of workers following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

 The investigations occurred after a 17-year-old worker fell from a job site at a Lowe’s home improvement store in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Mid-South Contractors – operating as Mid-South Roof Systems in Forest Park, Georgia – subcontracted JVS Roofing to perform roofing work atop the Lowe’s store in New Castle at the time of the teen’s injuries.

 “JVS Roofing ignored federal child labor laws and hired an underage employee to do prohibited roofing work,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh. “In reviewing this incident, our investigators then determined that the employer shortchanged workers an average of $3,000 per employee in earned overtime by misclassifying them as independent contractors.”

 The Wage and Hour Division recovered $92,640 in back wages for the affected workers, and the department has received the employer’s payment of a $6,399 civil money penalty assessed for the child labor violation.

 A subsequent investigation by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found JVS Roofing failed to provide employees with required fall protection, did not provide related training and allowed employees to work without a fall protection system in place.

 OSHA issued the company a citation for four serious safety violations and proposed $16,500 in penalties, which the company has paid.

 “Putting a child to work on a roof is irresponsible and a violation of federal safety laws,” said OSHA Area Director Brendan Claybaugh in Erie, Pennsylvania. “Fall hazards are well-known by employers and they remain a leading cause of serious injury and deaths in the construction industry. There is simply no place for such reckless behavior.”

Agency Wage and Hour Division

Date March 21, 2023

Release Number 23-524-PHI

More at https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20230321

OSHA proposes $319,000 in fines for safety violations at Dollar General stores in Columbus, Ga. area

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that one of America’s largest discount retailers “continues to expose workers to unsafe conditions”.

The agency inspected stores in Ocala, Florida, and Columbus, Georgia, and catalogued many of the same violations Dollar General has refused to correct at its stores throughout the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

OSHA’s investigation in Columbus found Dollar General’s Victory Drive location exposed workers to fire and entrapment hazards by locking an emergency exit door. The location had boxes and merchandise stored in an unsafe manner, exposing workers to struck-by hazards. OSHA issued citations for two repeat violations with $221,001 in proposed penalties.

At the retailer’s 13th Avenue location in Columbus, Ga., OSHA found boxes of merchandise, shopping carts and other items blocking walkways, exposing employees to trip hazards. OSHA cited Dollar General with one repeat violation and $98,219 in proposed penalties.   

“Exposing employees and others to these hazards can be dangerous, especially in an emergency,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. “Dollar General is well aware of federal requirements, but they continue to ignore their legal responsibilities to protect their employees at stores throughout the nation.”

In Alabama, Florida and Georgia, OSHA has issued citations in 23 Dollar General store inspections from Feb. 1, 2022 through Jan 31, 2023, with a total of nearly $7.5 million in penalties. 

Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC operate about 19,000 stores and 28 distribution centers in 47 states and employ more than 173,000 workers. In fiscal year 2022, the organization’s net sales were more than $9 billion.

Dollar General has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. You can learn more at https://www.osha.gov/

Agency: Occupational Safety & Health Administration

Date: March 13, 2023  Release Number: 23-402-NAT