PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia factory owner found guilty of retaliating against employees who cooperated with federal safety inspectors has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in back wages and punitive damages.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a judge ordered the fine earlier this month. A federal jury decided in April that William Lloyd, of Montgomeryville, fired two employees in 2014 and 2015 out of retaliation while the company was in the midst of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation.
OSHA was investigating because a worker lost part of three fingers in a 2014 accident with a steel-binding press.
A judge said the two workers were fired publically and “alarmingly close in time to OSHA events.”
OSHA has designated Lloyd Industries as a “severe violator” with 40 serious injuries over nearly two decades.
As part of his defense, Lloyd testified that OSHA fails to enforce its rules consistently.
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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.inquirer.com
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