Two Vancouver, Wash.-area construction companies and a Port Angeles contractor are the first to lose their registration as a result of action taken by the Wash. Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) for failure to pay workers’ compensation premiums.
The owners of 1st Millenium Ventures, Surefire Construction and American West Inc. were sent letters notifying them that their registration has been suspended and that they could no longer legally do construction work in Washington. The action by L&I came after repeated attempts to work out payment agreements failed.
1st Millenium Ventures was suspended because its owner, Philip Brill, was principal owner and a corporate officer of Brill’s Contracting Inc., which reportedly owes more than $240,000 in workers’ compensation premiums, penalties and interest dating back to December 1997. Surefire Construction was suspended because its owner, Richard Rehak, allegedly owes $320,000 in workers’ comp premiums, penalties and interest dating back to 1995.
A third contractor, Howard G. Parker, the owner of American West in Port Angeles, reportedly owes the State Fund $42,000 in back premiums, penalties and interest and has been suspended.
This is the first time L&I has used its authority to suspend a contractor’s registration for non-payment of premiums.
“These actions are taken as a last resort,” said Robert Malooly, L&I assistant director for Insurance Services, which runs the state’s workers’ comp system. “It’s a question of fairness. The vast majority of employers pay into a system that protects them and their workers. From a business sense, they’re at a disadvantage when they have to compete with employers who shirk their responsibility and ignore the law.”
Government agencies are prohibited from issuing building permits to companies and individuals that aren’t registered contractors. Any contractor or individual who hires an unregistered contractor can be held responsible for their unpaid workers’ comp premiums. Contractors who continue to work after being suspended are subject to a $1,000-a-day fine. L&I also has the authority to shut down building sites where contractors are unregistered.
Topics Workers' Compensation Washington Contractors Construction
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