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Contractor fined after death of demolition worker

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A contractor in Anchorage, Alaska, must pay $280,000 in fines for safety violations after a worker was killed when a wall collapsed unexpectedly during a demolition project, state authorities announced on Tuesday.

The sole proprietor of North Country Services, Mark Welty, misclassified workers as independent contractors and failed to provide safety training, according to a statement by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development the department.

Nicholson Tinker, aged 24, was killed when a concrete retaining wall he was preparing for demolition collapsed and crushed him, the statement said.

According to an investigation by the department, Mr. Welty misclassified his employees as independent contractors which allowed him to “evade the responsibility that all employers have to provide employees a workplace free of recognized hazards.”

Mr. Welty failed to provide safety training and did not conduct the required engineering survey to determine the state of the structure, according to the department.

North Country Services could not immediately be reached for comment.