Contractor faces civil contempt for failing to address OSHA findings
The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a motion in a federal court in Boston against Stephen Lessard, owner of Lessard Bros. Construction Inc. of Greene, alleging that he has refused to implement safety measures and pay more than $400,000 in fines for violations he’s been cited for dating back to 2010.
The Portland Press Herald reported that if the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit agrees and finds Lessard in civil contempt, the general contractor could face jail time. Lessard did not return multiple calls seeking comment, the newspaper reported.
The motion for contempt stems from a December 2010 Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection that resulted in citations for alleged “egregious, willful, serious and repeat violations” for a lack of fall protection and other hazards.
At that time, OSHA cited Lessard Bros. Construction and its predecessor, Lessard Roofing & Siding Inc., 10 times for inadequate safety precautions that allegedly exposed workers to falls of 23 feet at a work site in Lewiston. Because of Lessard's extensive history of violations, the agency imposed $224,000 in fines on the contractor, with an additional nearly $20,000 in penalties for improper training and electrical safety and hard hat protection violations, OSHA stated in 2010.
In 2011 Lessard told The Associated Press his company had not willfully violated any rules.
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