The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has fined two Roanoke Valley businesses more than $80,000 each in separate accidents that killed two employees.

Investigations into Tecton Products and the John T. Morgan Roofing and Sheet Metal Co. found that both companies were aware of the safety problems that led to the fatal accidents, according to reports obtained through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

Kasey St. Clair was working at Tecton Products on Dec. 5 when her clothing got caught in a chemical mixer at the Roanoke County facility. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation found that in October 2006, and twice in 2008, employees had "near misses" when their clothes got caught in the mixer, according to the state report. The employees involved noted that there needed to be a guard on the mixer and that the emergency stop button needed to be closer to the machine.

The company hired an engineer to look at the problem and was in the process of purchasing parts for a safety cage when St. Clair died, the department's report said.

Amber Unser, a spokeswoman for the company, which is headquartered in Fargo, N.D., said Wednesday that she could not talk about the investigation.

Tecton manufactures fiberglass framing components for windows and doors. It was fined $80,500.

The investigation into John T. Morgan Roofing came after the Jan. 2 death of Cesar Emilio-Romero Melgar. He had been making repairs at Salem Frame when he fell almost 24 feet through an opening in the roof and died.

The department's report said that although the roof was badly rusted with visible holes, management on-site was aware that the employee did not have fall protection.

It also says that the company was previously cited for two of the same violations found in this year's investigation. One of those violations pertained to the lack of fall protection. The other violation was that the safety monitor on-site could not watch employees, because that person had other responsibilities.

The company was fined $85,000.

A message left for the owner of John T. Morgan Roofing was not returned Wednesday.

Both companies will have an opportunity to meet with the Department of Labor and Industry to dispute its findings.