A contractor who admitted to lying to OSHA during an investigation was sentenced March 18 to probation and community service. Luis Estrada, owner of Connecticut-based L.L.E. Construction, will serve three years of probation, with the first six months to be served in home confinement. Estrada, who pleaded guilty on March 3, 2021, to making false […]
The owner of a Washington construction company was sentenced to 45 days in jail for a fatal 2016 trench collapse. The sentencing of Phillip Numrich, owner of Alki Construction, was a landmark decision since it’s extremely rare for an employer to face jail time for an on-the-job fatality, according to the state’s Department of Labor […]
A New Jersey contractor, and one of the state’s biggest safety violators, is being held personally liable for $2 million in OSHA fines. An administrative law judge with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission granted OSHA’s motion for summary judgment against Juan Quevedo-Garcia, owner of BB Frame LLC, on Feb. 25. Dissolved former company, […]
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will be working more closely with OSHA in prosecuting companies for environmental crimes that impact worker safety. In January, a DOJ official told law firm Reed Smith that the department will be formally collaborating with OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in pursuing cases related to […]
A Texas oilfield company and its vice president were charged March 8 for worker safety and environmental crimes that led to the deaths of a worker and his wife in 2019. Aghorn Operating Inc. and its vice president, Trent Day, were indicted by a federal grand jury for obstructing an OSHA investigation, violating federal safety […]
A Missouri cement company is in hot water with the federal government after reducing a worker’s wages while she was assisting inspectors during a site visit. The worker was paid less per hour for the time she spent as a miner representative with U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspectors. A federal administrative law […]
A Florida security contractor is being sued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) after allegedly terminating a worker with safety concerns regarding COVID-19 exposure and firearm storage protocols. The worker filed a retaliation complaint with OSHA following their termination, leading to an investigation and lawsuit by the DOL in the U.S. District Court for […]
A Missouri mine operator who harassed inspectors and prevented an investigation was recently forced by a federal judge to allow the inspection to continue. Westley Partridge, owner of Partridge Sand & Gravel, was served an injunction Feb. 2, preventing him and his company from stopping federal inspectors from completing safety inspections. Forced car off road […]
A private aviation company in California was ordered to pay $958,000 for retaliating against a whistleblower by getting them fired from their new job. OSHA ordered Pegasus Elite Aviation to pay $958,000 in back wages and costs to the whistleblower who had reported safety concerns that led to an onsite inspection. After the inspection, Pegasus […]
