The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the city of Central Point $815 for violating several asbestos-related regulations.
Though only a small amount of asbestos was found in the debris remaining from the demolition of a 100-year-old house in February 2009, the city was given three multipart citations for issues ranging from not informing employees of the potential presence of asbestos to not providing adequate training and clothing to workers handling asbestos-contaminated materials.
“Basically, they were supposed to have told the employees there was potentially asbestos there or that the material could have contained asbestos. They were then supposed to have actually tested for it before they started working,” said Oregon OSHA spokesperson Melanie Mesaros.
Asbestos exposure is a concern because serious health conditions may develop as a result of inhaling or ingesting toxic asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma, a rare, aggressive cancer is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure.
According to Public Works Director Bob Pierce, rules for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and OSHA were reviewed prior to demolition by city officials who noted that the site was exempt from most regulations according to DEQ standards.
Employees involved in the demolition were instructed to sprinkle water over the site if dust was present. The site was also examined by a city building official who determined the structure was unlikely to contain asbestos-contaminated materials.
“The outcome was we made some mistakes and we fessed up to those and were fined $815,” stated Pierce. “We take our employee safety very seriously. We went out there thinking we had done everything the way it should have been done.”
Inspectors visited the site and found minimal debris remaining for testing as most had already been buried.
“They tested for three types of stuff — roofing, tile and linoleum — and one sample had less than 1 percent (asbestos). So we didn’t expose anybody to asbestos from what I can determine here, but there were other steps we should have taken,” Pierce added.
Pierce noted that the city will now utilize contractors for demolition projects.
Additional information about asbestos exposure and mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Cancer Center.
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