Maine
Maine roofing contractor fined $1.6M for OSHA violations after 2018 falling death
A Maine roofing contractor is facing a fine of nearly $1.6 million after a federal judge found that his company exposed workers to hazardous conditions between December 2018 and May 2019.
Shawn Purvis, who owns Purvis Home Improvement Co. Inc., failed to provide adequate fall prevention for workers at various worksites in Portland, Old Orchard Beach and Springvale, according to a ruling by Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Administrative Law Judge Carol A. Baumerich.
In 2018, Alan Loignon, 30, fell to his death from a Portland home in December 2018 while climbing down a ladder onto scaffolding without safety gear. That led to a workplace manslaughter charge being filed in 2019.
In December 2021, a jury found Purvis not guilty of workplace manslaughter for Loignon’s death. At the time, Purvis said that his workers were subcontractors who can choose whether to follow safety standards with equipment he provides.
However, Baumerich determined that Purvis had employed the workers, and they were not exempt from OSHA standards.
The initial OSHA investigation into Purvis’ company was opened after Loignon’s 2018 death. OSHA cited Purvis Home Improvement Co. Inc. for 14 willful workplace safety violations, two repeat violations and four serious workplace safety violations after a series of inspections. However, Purvis’ company had been cited for violating OSHA standards, including failing to provide fall prevention gear, at least five times between 2006 and 2018.
Days after Loignon’s death, similar workplace hazards were identified at worksites run by Purvis in Old Orchard Beach, and violations were also noted at a Springvale worksite in May 2019 by OSHA. Between the two worksites, OSHA logged 13 citations of egregious and willful or “instance-by-instance” violations.
At a hearing that concluded in November 2021, Baumerich found Purvis personally liable for each of the violations, and he faces $1,572,340 in OSHA penalties.
Purvis has appealed the decision handed down by Baumerich to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.