December 19, 2006

            Lansing - Attorney General Mike Cox announced today that charges were filed against Maco Concrete, Inc. for willfully violating the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act (MIOSHA) in connection with the death of 41-year-old Jeff Padot on April 23, 2006.

            Padot, an employee of Maco Concrete, Inc., was killed in Addison Township when the trench he was working in collapsed and buried him alive.  The investigation led by the MIOSHA safety officers revealed that the trench was approximately ten feet deep and the earthen trench walls were nearly vertical and were not supported or shored to reduce the risk of collapse.  According to MIOSHA regulations, such trenches must contain a supporting system for the safety of workers.

            "Employers have a responsibility to insure the physical safety of their workers.  When an employer fails to follow the law and deliberately sends a worker into a life threatening situation, there must be consequences," Cox said.

            Maco Concrete, Inc. has been charged criminally with willfully violating the MIOSHA requirement that an employer provide a place of employment which is free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to the employee.  This offense is a 1-year felony and carries a fine up to $10,000.

            A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

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