Massachusetts roofing company hit with asbestos fines
Certified Residential Roofing and Siding of Shrewsbury is being fined $46,412.50 by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for violating asbestos regulations. The DEP has alleged that the roofing contractor failed to follow required procedures when removing Transite asbestos-containing roofing materials from a Worcester home.
When asbestos materials are removed from a structure, there are notice requirements and safe handling procedures that must be followed to prevent asbestos fibers from being released. In this case, during a DEP inspection in the fall of 2006, inspectors found broken asbestos shingles scattered dry on the ground.
The roofing contractor claims that he and his workers did not remove the asbestos roof. They arrived after another contractor had removed the roof, and his company was hired solely to put on the new roof. The company is challenging the penalty and plans to appeal.
Removing the asbestos roofing properly would have required the contractor to wet the shingles and avoid breaking them, to seal them into labeled, leak-proof containers and to dispose of the containers at a facility certified to receive asbestos waste.
For the full story, go to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
