Employer Found Guilty For Failure To Provide Workers' Compensation Coverage For Employees

Jun. 8, 2000
No. 00-53

Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL) Ed Flanagan announced today the successful prosecution of a Juneau plumber for failing to provide workers' compensation insurance for his employees and performing plumbing work without a State of Alaska Certificate of Fitness.

William I. Evans, doing business as Evans Plumbing and Heating Service, was convicted on June 7, 2000, for failure to obtain a Certificate of Fitness, failure to provide proof of bonding, and failure to obtain workers compensation insurance, in Juneau District Court. Sentencing will be scheduled later in June. The maximum sentence that Evans could receive is a $10,000 fine, and one year in jail for the workers compensation conviction, a $500 fine for failure to obtain a Certificate of Fitness, and $300 fine for failure to provide proof of bonding.

Al Dwyer, Director of DOL's Labor Standards and Safety Division explained that the department attempts to identify unlicensed and uninsured contractors and tradesmen before there is an accident or an injury to an employee, but is not always successful. "This conviction should send a signal to any employer thinking about not carrying the licenses and insurance." Dwyer said.

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