SOUTHERN ILLINOIS — The owner of a Southern Illinois construction company was sentenced Thursday to five months in federal prison and fined $50,000 for exposing immigrant workers to asbestos during an asbestos-removal project at an Okawville school.

Joe Kehrer, owner of Kehrer Brothers Construction in Albers, had pleaded guilty in March to charges of failing to notify regulatory authorities before removing asbestos.

Federal law requires that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency be notified 10 days before removal of any potential asbestos-containing materials.

A Kehrer Brothers employee reached out to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the removal project with concerns that employees were putting their lives at risk by working with asbestos, a known carcinogen. The work was done in the spring of 2015 at an Okawville elementary school.

One employee told investigators that when OSHA inspectors came to the project, Kehrer told employees to stop their work and hide chemicals and equipment.

In August 2015, OSHA issued a $1.8 million fine against Kehrer, accusing him of using Mexican workers to remove the asbestos without safety gear, and threatening to fire them if they spoke with investigators. Kehrer contested the fine.