Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete, Inc., based in East Freetown, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty in federal court to willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards. The violation is connected to a workplace incident in 2023 that resulted in the death of an employee.
Court documents describe how the company used a large soil screener for processing soil and similar materials. The machine was about 46 feet long, 13 feet high, and weighed roughly 35,880 pounds. Its tail conveyor, weighing approximately 1,500 pounds, could be positioned vertically or at a 45-degree angle. The equipment had experienced issues prior to the incident; specifically, the tail conveyor had closed unexpectedly on several occasions in 2022 and 2023, and there had been a ruptured hydraulic pressure line.
On September 6, 2023, an employee was working with a co-owner on the open tail conveyor when there was no mechanism to prevent it from closing. As the worker attempted to remove a bolt, the conveyor closed unexpectedly. The employee grabbed onto the upper frame as it shut into its vertical position and suffered fatal head trauma.
John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete now faces up to five years of probation, a fine of up to $500,000, and restitution payments to the deceased worker's estate for willfully violating OSHA regulations. Sentencing is set for May 4, 2026.
"United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Jeff Erskine, Regional Administrator of the Department of Labor OSHA Boston Region; and Maia Fisher, Regional Solicitor for Department of Labor Boston Region made the announcement." Assistance in this investigation came from OSHA’s Criminal Investigations Team in Boston Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely is prosecuting the case.
