A Zion, Illinois, roofing contractor was fined $266,000 for repeat offenses involving ignoring federal employment safety regulations.
Miguel A. Esquina Reyes is the employer at the heart of the continued risk to safety and life offenses that are carried out as part of his company, Corner Construction Corp’s work in the Land of Lincoln.
A recent report and investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stated that Mr Reyes’ work environment provided an “extensive history of endangering workers by exposing them to fall hazards.”
Zion contractor to pay for repeat offenses
“Miguel Reyes continues to show a chronic disregard for safe work operations and a willingness to jeopardize his employees’ lives and well-being,” said OSHA Chicago North Area Director Sukhvir Kaur.
The OSHA probe gave Reyes and Corner Construction Corp three violations. One willful violation, one repeat violation, and one serious violation, with the latter resulting in $266,175 in proposed penalties.
As Due reported, fatal falls are the number one concern for the Department of Labor and they are responsible for 1,069 construction workers dying on the job, with 395 of those deaths related to falls.
“OSHA often finds contractors violating the same safety regulations repeatedly, because they believe their workers will not fall victim to injury. It takes just seconds to lose footing, to fall off a roof and suffer serious and all-too-often fatal injuries,” concluded Director Kaur.
In November of 2024, a Florida roofing company owner and payroll administrator pleaded guilty to fraud against the IRS, totaling nearly $2.5 million.
The IRS is presumed to have lost millions in incorrect and false submissions, saying, “It is alleged that between 2013 and 2023 (the pair) withdrew over $21 million from the company’s bank accounts to pay employee predominantly in cash without withholding Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from those wages. They did this to avoid paying employment taxes they knew were legally required,” said the Justice Department.
Both individuals will be sentenced later, and they will face five years in prison for the fraudulent submissions.
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