A southern Illinois contractor whose companies were fined nearly $2 million for federal workplace safety violations involving asbestos exposure could face a criminal inquiry.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Joseph Kehrer of Albers, Kehrer Brothers Construction and an affiliated roofing company $1.939 million last week after finding that at least eight Mexican guest workers participating in the H-2B visa program were deprived of required safety equipment while working at an Okawville school.
OSHA spokesman Scott Allen told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the agency is considering whether to refer the case to the U.S. Justice Department ``for possible criminal charges.''
OSHA alleges that Kehrer threatened to fire workers, who would then be deported, if they talked to its investigators. The companies can appeal the federal decision.
