The successor company to DeCoster Egg Farms in Turner faces $150,000 in fines for making employees work in “hazardous” conditions.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Maine Contract Farming LLC for four alleged “willful and serious violations of safety standards” for making employees work in and atop a building after its roof collapsed because of heavy snow and ice, according to a press release from OSHA. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
DeCoster has faced stiff penalties in the past due to workplace violations, including a 1996 citation that resulted in $2 million in fines and a $3.2 million court settlement in 2004, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Maine Contract Farming has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
