Authorities have arrested the former and current owner of a St. Louis, MO, business for failing to comply with court orders to pay more than a quarter of a million dollars in OSHA fines.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the arrests of Brian Andre, former owner of Andre Tuckpointing and Brickwork, and Regina Shaw, current owner of Andre Stone & Mason Work, the successor to the original company. They were taken into custody on Dec. 28, 2010.

The court has ordered them to pay outstanding penalties totaling $258,582. Shaw and the new company have also been ordered to pay a $100 daily penalty, calculated from the time of default in early 2008 after an order by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

OSHA issued numerous citations from June 2003 to the present to both companies for willful, repeat and serious violations related to:

• fall hazards
• scaffolding erection deficiencies, and
• power tool guarding hazards.

The court has also ordered the current company to provide:

• weekly notification to OSHA of all current jobs and known future jobs at least 72 hours before work starts for a period of three years
• training to all employees designated as jobsite “competent persons” before beginning any work, and
• documentation of that training.

Tags: failure to pay OSHA fines, fall protection, owners arrested, scaffolding