NJ Landscaper Ordered by Federal Court to Pay $400K in Back Wages and Damages to 32 Workers.

A federal court has approved a consent judgment ordering a Succasunna landscaping company and its owner to pay $400,000 in back wages and damages after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employer denied 32 of its workers the overtime pay they earned.

Burn Pit Benefits: The US Senate Passed The Pact Act

The burn pit benefit bill now heads back to the US House of Representatives before going to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law; The PACT Act is named in honor of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson of Ohio.

OSHA Fines Robbinsville NJ $368K for Scissor Lift Hazard

A U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the fatal fall of a contractor at a Robbinsville NJ frozen food manufacturer identified a wide range of potentially fatal workplace hazards at CJ TMI Manufacturing America LLC, leading the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue the employer citations for 36 violations and proposed $368,513 in penalties.

COVID-19 on the Brain: Neurological Symptoms Persist in Majority of Long-Haulers

A new study offers scientific evidence supporting permanent neurological disability flowing from an occupational COVID-19 condition. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine are conducting a longitudinal study to track neurological symptoms in COVID-19 “long-haulers.”

Central New Jersey facility to pay $273K, take corrective actions to resolve COVID-related respirator violations

OSHA finds employers failed to ensure safe respirator use while testing hundreds daily.

Senator Merkley Chairs Hearing on Asbestos Ban Legislation

Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, called and chaired a hearing on the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2022.

Common Law Discrimination Complaint Fatally Flawed

One of the remedies available to injured workers who have been discharged in retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim is a common law action. The failure to adequately plead a retaliation action in the complaint will result in the dismissal of the action.