OSHA fines Cambria Contracting $484,000 for willful asbestos violations
Cambria Contracting Inc. has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 11 alleged willful violations of asbestos standards related to a jobsite in Buffalo, New York. Penalties for these 11 violations add up to $484,000.
The asbestos contractor had workers cleaning up debris at a former department store warehouse. The company had extensive knowledge of OSHA asbestos standards and chose not to follow them, putting their workers at risk. The violations included: failing to train employees about asbestos hazards and how to protect themselves, not informing workers about the presence of asbestos at the job site, failing to require workers to use proper protective clothing and respirators, failing to determine the asbestos exposure level, not establishing a regulated work area are for asbestos removal and handling, and not using vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters to collect debris. The removal methods Cambria workers used instead typically release asbestos fibers into the air.
The steep penalties were appropriated because Cambria knew about the asbestos requirements but chose not to follow them. Cambria Contracting was given 15 days from receipt of the citations to either comply, contest the findings or meet with OSHA.
For the full story, go to Occupational Health & Safety.
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