State fines roof firm at Lowell complex

LOWELL -- The roofing and siding company from New York that performed work at Westminster Village has been penalized by the state for operating without a valid workers-compensation policy in place.

In late December, the state Department of Industrial Accidents issued a "Stop Work Order" to the roofing and siding contractor after officials determined the company did not have a valid workers' compensation policy for work at the complex on Pawtucket Boulevard.

Since then, the state has fined Upstate Roofing and Siding of Monroe, N.Y., $700 and has debarred the company from bidding or participating on any public contracts in the state for the next three years, said Greg Freed, a spokesman for the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

"If a company fails to carry workers' compensation insurance coverage and injuries occur, injured workers are left to fend for themselves," said Philip Hillman, the director of the Department of Industrial Accidents. "Workers' compensation insurance pays for necessary medical treatment and offsets lost wages associated with injuries or illnesses incurred on the job."

The company was permitted to resume work after providing proof of workers' compensation insurance and paying the fine, Freed said.

Also in late December, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued an "Imminent Danger" notice to Upstate Roofing and Siding.

Inspectors from OSHA's Andover office observed

OSHA's inspection of the site is continuing, said OSHA spokesman Edmund Fitzgerald.

Upstate Roofing and Siding's office was closed yesterday and a voicemail left was not returned.

Prior to the roofing problems, electrical contractors closed up walls after doing wiring work in about 100 units and before calling for city electrical inspections of the work.

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State fines roof firm at Lowell complex