PHILADELPHIA — The secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor is suing a company for allegedly violating OSHA laws and wrongfully terminating employees.
Thomas E. Perez, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, filed a lawsuit on March 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Lloyd Industries Inc. and William P. Lloyd, citing violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
According to the complaint, the defendants operated a facility in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, for the manufacturing of fire and smoke dampers. The defendant allegedly terminated an employee after he lost three of his fingers while operating a press brake that did not have a machine guard installed.
On Nov. 6, 2014, the employee filed a formal complaint with the Allentown Area Office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which soon sent compliance officers to inspect the defendant’s facility, the suit says. The defendants reportedly fired another employee on May 27, 2015 for filing an additional OSHA complaint, in violation of the OSHA Act of 1970.
Perez seeks damages and reinstatement for the terminated employees, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs of litigation, and a trial by jury. He is represented by Judson H. Dean of the U.S. Department of Labor, in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case number 2:16-cv-01079