Author Archive for: pkhambadza

Good visibility is no accident In September 2022, a dump truck operator in Georgia arrived at a construction site to deliver fill soil. As he backed up to unload at the top of a slope, something went terribly wrong – the truck started rolling backward. Unable to stop it, the operator jumped out to avoid being hit. The truck

Standing down to prevent falls Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling attends a safety stand-down in Bethesda, Maryland, on May 7 hosted by Hensel Phelps. This week, I was excited to join construction company Hensel Phelps and more than 1,800 workers, employers, and other stakeholders at the National Institutes of Health work site in Bethesda, Maryland, for the annual National Safety Stand-Down

Empowering Small Businesses for a Stronger America Small businesses are the engine of the American economy — creating jobs, driving innovation, and strengthening communities. The U.S. Department of Labor is proud to celebrate National Small Business Week 2025 and recognize the hard work, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit of small business owners across the country. We understand that running a small

100 days in, Trump’s Golden Age puts American workers first President Donald Trump once said, “No dream is too big. No challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.” At 100 days of his second term, the president is proving that’s true. The greatest visions we could have for our country are being realized

Another year prioritizing miners’ safety and health and mining communities Following deadly disasters that haunted mining communities and thousands of miners stricken by occupational illnesses such as black lung disease, Congress passed the Mine Act and created the Mine Safety and Health Administration to ensure that the first priority and concern of all in the mining industry must be the

Equitable Transition Models: Improving employment opportunities for disabled youth As 2025 begins to ramp up, so do the U.S. Department of LaborOffice of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) Equitable Transition Model (ETM) demonstration grants. Awarded in April 2024 to four state agencies—the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the Departments of Labor in Connecticut

Celebrating two years of the PUMP Act When my mother was pregnant with me, she was a farmworker in South Carolina working the seasonal tobacco harvest. A few months after my birth, when she returned to work full-time, she no longer had access to a clean, private and accessible space to nurse or pump breast milk while at work. So,

The gender wage gap 16 years after the Ledbetter Act The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Obama on January 29, 2009, amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and is the most recentfair pay legislation to be signed at the federal level. To mark the anniversary and to

A foundation for lasting change in the world of work It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor, leading the inspirational, talented and passionate team at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). Under the extraordinary leadership of Acting Secretary Julie Su, President Biden and Vice

How to improve women’s retirement security in 2025 Savingfor old age is challenging for most people, but recent data suggest women are less likely than men to consider their retirement savings on-track. Nearly half of women find making retirement savings decisions to be complicated and confusing and nearly six in 10 women feel they do not earn enough to save