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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 Before our customers made their first call, we called on Bernstein Shur. Thank you, Bernstein Shur, for helping us become #1 on Inc.'s list of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Your smart, strategic legal counsel has helped us bring our affordable calling and data plans to millions of people—and set the stage for a very promising future. Herald for a story published Dec. 2. In Waterville, the interchange project will be funded with the help of Trafton Properties Inc., a Rhode Island company that owns 923 acres near the site. Trafton Properties will match the department's $1.81 mil- lion contribution to the project, and the federal Economic Development Administration has awarded a nearly $1 million grant. Harry Kojoian, vice president of operations for Trafton Properties, told the Press Herald that the fi rm believes the inter- change will attract tenants to its former mill property at the corner of West River and Trafton roads, especially manufacturers and light industry companies. Bangor Savings to close four branches Bangor Savings Bank says it will close four of its branch locations by the end of next June. e branches are in Howland, Farmington-Mt. Blue, Hartland and East Millinocket. All are within 12 miles of other branches, the Bangor Daily News reported. Consolidation is expected to start by March 25. e bank has seen steady migration toward alternative bank- ing channels and decreased activity at F ines levied by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will increase for the fi rst time in a quarter century, under a provision in the recently signed congressional budget deal. e new budget, signed into law on Nov. 2 by President Barack Obama, contains an amendment canceling a 1990 federal rule that exempted OSHA from increasing its penalties to account for infl ation. e last time OSHA's maximum penalty levels were increased was in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. Under the new budget deal, OSHA is directed to make a one-time "catch- up" increase to make up for more than two decades without increases. e catch-up increase cannot exceed the infl ation rate from 1990 through 2015 as measured by the Consumer Price Index, which is expected to be around 82% over the 25-year span. If OSHA applies the maximum catch-up increase allowed, the current maximum $70,000 fi ne for "repeat" and "willful" violations would grow to a maximum of $127,400, and the $7,000 maximum fi ne for "serious" and "failure-to-abate" violations would increase to $12,744. e adjustment must occur before Aug. 1, 2016. In subsequent years, OSHA also will be allowed — for the fi rst time — to adjust its penal- ties levels based on infl ation. Maine DOL commissioner touts SafetyWorks! program Maine Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette will use those pending fi ne increases to encourage Maine businesses to invest in safer workplaces and thereby avoid the risk of being cited by OSHA. "Maine has one of the strongest workplace safety consulting programs in the country, SafetyWorks!," she said in a press release announcing OSHA's looming fi ne increases. "I encourage all businesses to contact the department to learn about how the SafetyWorks! program can help them improve safety and avoid these higher fi nes." SafetyWorks! is not an OSHA program and cannot issue fi nes or citations to private businesses. Instead, SafetyWorks! provides trained consultants with industry- specifi c expertise who can review an employer's facility, arranged by appointment. e consultation may include such elements as recognizing safety hazards, sampling for air and noise exposures, recommending ways to reduce or to eliminate hazards, developing or improving a safety program, complying with federal OSHA regulations and identifying training needs. Although the Maine Depart- ment of Labor has the authority to fi ne public-sector employers for workplace safety violations, Paquette said the state's practice has been to work with the employer. It is often willing to reduce the fi ne for "non-willful violations as long as the employer is making the neces- sary corrections." Maine's SafetyWorks! program trains about 8,000 people and consults at nearly 1,000 Maine worksites each year. To learn more about the program, call 1-877-723-3345 or go to the website www.safetyworksmaine.com P O L I T I C S & C O. B Y J A M E S M C C A R T H Y OSHA fines to increase by as much as 80% in 2016

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